Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time packers, bottlers, canners and fillers in the UK earned a median £26,152 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 33% 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 (35th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £23,628 and £30,343.
Median full-time pay: women £25,693 a year, men £26,989 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 70,000 employee jobs, 81% full-time.
From £20,453 in 2021, the median is up 27.9%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 62,500 people in this line of work, 24% of them in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £21,376 | £462.10 | £12.21 | £12,445* | £264.30 | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £23,176 | £489.80 | £12.40 | £20,325 | £424.10 | £12.25 |
| 25th percentile | £23,628 | £497.30 | £12.50 | £21,914 | £461.40 | £12.40 |
| 30th percentile | £24,069 | £504.00 | £12.67 | £22,619 | £476.10 | £12.51 |
| 40th percentile | £25,033 | £526.90 | £12.93 | £23,950 | £500.30 | £12.81 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £26,152 | £555.20 | £13.40 | £25,087 | £522.70 | £13.21 |
| 60th percentile | £27,749 | £583.50 | £13.98 | £26,465 | £556.70 | £13.84 |
| 70th percentile | £29,702 | £635.00 | £14.88 | £28,326 | £596.10 | £14.66 |
| 75th percentile | £30,343 | £650.40 | £15.27 | £29,816 | £634.40 | £15.06 |
| 80th percentile | £31,766 | £692.70 | £15.59 | £30,651 | £651.90 | £15.42 |
| 90th percentile | – | £762.20* | – | – | £742.80* | £17.27* |
| Mean | £27,474 | £590.90 | £14.25 | £25,074 | £529.10 | £14.18 |
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 | £20,453 | £415.10 | £9.83 | £19,513 | £394.20 | 96 |
| 2022 revised | £22,799 | £447.60 | £10.98 | £21,708 | £427.30 | 84 |
| 2023 revised | £23,091 | £470.40 | £11.66 | £22,161 | £451.80 | 91 |
| 2024 revised | £25,406 | £521.50 | £12.71 | £24,284 | £498.80 | 74 |
| 2025 provisional | £26,152 | £555.20 | £13.40 | £25,087 | £522.70 | 70 |
Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers by region
UK: 62,500 (± 9,700), April 2025 to March 2026. 11 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 15,300* | ± 4,600 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What packers, bottlers, canners and fillers do
Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers pack, wrap, fill, label and seal containers by hand or machine. (ONS SOC 2020, 9132)
Also covers: factory worker (packing), packaging operator, packer, paint filler, ampoule filler, bag bundler, bag filler, bag tier, bale stitcher, baler operator, baling machinist, barrel filler, bench hand, bench worker, biscuit packer, bottle capper, bottle filler and bottle sighter (148 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Selects appropriate cylinder, ensures that there is no corrosion or other damage and fills with gas
- Fills tubes, ampoules, bottles, drums, barrels, bags, sacks, cans, boxes and other containers by hand using measuring/weighing aid or by positioning container under feeder spout
- Packs heavy goods in crates and boxes using hoist, mobile crane or similar lifting equipment
- Loads machine with packaging containers, materials, adhesive, etc., loads hopper with items to be packaged/wrapped, monitors filling, wrapping and packaging, adjusts controls as necessary and clears any blockages
- Examines cans, bottles and seals and rejects any that are faulty
- Labels goods by hand or machine
No academic qualifications are required. Training is typically provided on-the-job and varies according to the type of packing and product. Formal courses are run for specialist packing.
Related
Elementary process plant occupations (median £27,447) · Industrial cleaning process occupations · Elementary process plant occupations n.e.c. · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026