Plasterers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time plasterers in the UK earned a median £34,016 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £5,023 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 213th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
A full-time median is published for men only; the sample of women is too small.
ASHE counts roughly 7,000 employee jobs, 100% full-time.
From £27,004 in 2021, the median is up 26.0%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 38,800 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | – | £536.20 | £14.18 | £25,642* | £483.30* | £13.80 |
| 25th percentile | £28,909* | £565.20 | £14.60 | £27,623* | £533.90 | £14.23 |
| 30th percentile | £30,698 | £598.00 | £15.30 | £29,555* | £566.30 | £14.61 |
| 40th percentile | £31,998 | £626.80 | £15.76 | £31,723 | £614.20 | £15.62 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £34,016 | £651.20 | £16.58 | £33,789 | £643.90 | £16.31 |
| 60th percentile | £34,904 | £689.30 | £17.34 | £34,802 | £685.40 | £17.21 |
| 70th percentile | £37,348* | £717.60* | – | – | £712.80* | £18.52* |
| Mean | £34,291 | £688.80 | £17.64 | £33,403 | £666.20 | £17.46 |
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 | £27,004 | £528.20 | £13.57 | £26,767* | £514.00* | 7* |
| 2022 revised | £28,737* | £578.90 | £14.76 | £28,511* | £562.80 | 6* |
| 2023 revised | £33,010 | £647.90 | £16.25 | £31,888* | £632.90* | 6* |
| 2024 revised | – | £666.40 | £16.50 | – | £624.70 | 7* |
| 2025 provisional | £34,016 | £651.20 | £16.58 | £33,789 | £643.90 | 7* |
Plasterers by region
UK: 38,800 (± 7,600), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What plasterers do
Plasterers apply dry linings, plaster and cement mixtures to walls and ceilings, fix fibrous sheets and cast and fix ornamental plasterwork to the interior or exterior of buildings. (ONS SOC 2020, 5321)
Also covers: dry liner, fibrous plasterer, plasterer, plastering contractor, dryliner fixer, fibrous fixer, rough caster, dry wall liner and fixer (dry lining).
- Selects appropriate plasterboard or dry lining panels, cuts them to required size and fixes them to ceilings and walls
- Mixes, or directs the mixing of, plaster to desired consistency
- Applies and smooths one or more coats of plaster and produces a finished surface, using hand tools or mechanical spray
- Pours liquid plaster into mould to cast ornamental plaster work
- Measures, cuts, installs and secures plaster board and/or ornamental plasterwork to walls and ceilings
- Covers and seals joints between boards and finishes surface
There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.
Related
Building finishing trades (median £33,153) · Floorers and wall tilers · Painters and decorators · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026