Food, drink and tobacco process operatives: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time food, drink and tobacco process operatives in the UK earned a median £28,243 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 28% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (67th from the bottom).
One in ten full-time jobs paid under £21,541; one in ten paid over £40,489.
Median full-time pay: women £25,658 a year, men £29,589 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 170,000 employee jobs, 85% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 32.8% (from £21,271), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 129,900 people in this line of work, 16% of them in East Midlands.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £21,541 | £456.70 | £12.25 | £15,598 | £348.30 | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £23,529 | £487.50 | £12.54 | £21,767 | £444.60 | £12.43 |
| 25th percentile | £24,471 | £499.00 | £12.69 | £22,837 | £469.80 | £12.56 |
| 30th percentile | £25,227 | £511.30 | £12.89 | £23,821 | £486.70 | £12.71 |
| 40th percentile | £26,707 | £543.90 | £13.35 | £25,549 | £512.90 | £13.17 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £28,243 | £575.50 | £13.87 | £27,267 | £549.00 | £13.69 |
| 60th percentile | £30,294 | £614.00 | £14.55 | £29,356 | £586.80 | £14.36 |
| 70th percentile | £32,658 | £656.20 | £15.30 | £31,604 | £633.30 | £15.07 |
| 75th percentile | £33,889 | £690.30 | £15.88 | £33,002 | £665.70 | £15.58 |
| 80th percentile | £35,190 | £722.10 | £16.51 | £34,431 | £701.30 | £16.29 |
| 90th percentile | £40,489 | £827.20 | £18.48 | £39,705 | £814.60 | £18.22 |
| Mean | £29,453 | £615.80 | £14.91 | £27,613 | £567.30 | £14.81 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £21,271 | £420.70 | £10.15 | £20,453 | £409.80 | 136 |
| 2022 revised | £23,510 | £467.60 | £11.26 | £22,509 | £440.80 | 200 |
| 2023 revised | £25,511 | £506.50 | £12.35 | £24,516 | £477.80 | 137 |
| 2024 revised | £27,042 | £543.20 | £13.16 | £25,994 | £519.60 | 175 |
| 2025 provisional | £28,243 | £575.50 | £13.87 | £27,267 | £549.00 | 170 |
Food, drink and tobacco process operatives by region
UK: 129,900 (± 14,000), April 2025 to March 2026. 5 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 20,700* | ± 6,000 |
| North West | 17,000* | ± 5,000 |
| West Midlands | 17,000* | ± 5,400 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 14,600* | ± 4,500 |
| Scotland | 10,600* | ± 3,700 |
| South West | 9,700* | ± 3,500 |
| Wales | 8,300* | ± 2,600 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What food, drink and tobacco process operatives do
Food, drink and tobacco process operatives set, operate and attend machinery to bake, freeze, heat, crush, mix, blend and otherwise process foodstuffs, beverages and tobacco leaves. (ONS SOC 2020, 8111)
Also covers: baker (food products mfr), bakery assistant, factory worker (food products mfr), meat processor (meat packing), process worker (brewery), process worker (dairy), acid man, acidifier operator, autoclave operator, autolysis man, bacon dryer, bakehouse assistant, bakehouse helper, bakehouse worker, baker's help, bakery hand, bakery operative and bakery worker (630 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Sets, operates and attends machinery and ovens to mix, bake and otherwise prepare bread and flour confectionery products
- Operates machinery to crush, mix, malt, cook and ferment grains and fruits to produce beer, wines, malt liquors, vinegar, yeast and related products
- Attends equipment to make jam, toffee, cheese, processed cheese, margarine, syrup, ice, pasta, ice-cream, sausages, chocolate, maize starch, edible fats and dextrin
- Operates equipment to cool, heat, dry, roast, blanch, pasteurise, smoke, sterilise, freeze, evaporate and concentrate foodstuffs and liquids used in food processing
- Mixes, pulps, grinds, blends and separates foodstuffs and liquids with churning, pressing, sieving, grinding and filtering equipment
- Processes tobacco leaves by hand or machine to make cigarettes, cigars, pipe and other tobacco products
There are no formal academic entry requirements, though some GCSEs/S grades can be an advantage. Off and on-the-job training is available. Vocational qualifications related to food and drink manufacturing, including apprenticeships, are available at up to level 3.
Related
Process operatives (median £29,530) · Textile process operatives · Chemical and related process operatives · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026