Process operatives n.e.c.: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time process operatives n.e.c. in the UK earned a median £31,717 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 19% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That puts it 248th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
Median full-time pay: women £27,850 a year, men £32,106 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 14,000 employee jobs, 93% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 36.4% (from £23,259), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 26,300 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | – | £476.20 | £12.44 | – | £461.40 | £12.46 |
| 20th percentile | £25,162 | £525.90 | £12.97 | £23,700* | £514.90 | £12.97 |
| 25th percentile | £26,051 | £540.50 | £13.12 | £25,764 | £529.00 | £13.13 |
| 30th percentile | £26,889 | £551.10 | £13.43 | £26,405 | £548.40 | £13.45 |
| 40th percentile | £29,055 | £619.70 | £14.10 | £28,463 | £585.50 | £14.00 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £31,717 | £667.70 | £15.12 | £30,843 | £661.30 | £15.03 |
| 60th percentile | £34,038* | £720.80 | £16.75 | £32,562 | £718.10 | £16.61 |
| 70th percentile | £36,704* | £764.00 | £18.18 | £36,039* | £760.10 | £18.05 |
| 75th percentile | – | £777.80 | £18.83 | – | £773.00 | £18.53 |
| Mean | £33,162 | £690.30 | £16.49 | £32,313 | £676.90 | £16.44 |
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 | £23,259 | £500.70 | £11.18 | £22,789 | £471.20 | 14* |
| 2022 revised | £24,173 | £500.40 | £12.04 | £23,643 | £468.30 | 13* |
| 2023 revised | £27,909 | £551.60 | £13.20 | £27,587 | £544.30 | 18* |
| 2024 revised | £29,411 | £587.70 | £13.99 | £28,852 | £583.00 | 16* |
| 2025 provisional | £31,717 | £667.70 | £15.12 | £30,843 | £661.30 | 14* |
Process operatives n.e.c. by region
UK: 26,300 (± 6,300), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What process operatives n.e.c. do
Job holders in this unit group perform a variety of processing occupations not elsewhere classified in minor group 811: Process operatives. (ONS SOC 2020, 8119)
Also covers: glass worker, moulder (rubber goods mfr), melting pot assistant (electric cable), process worker (fibreglass mfr), stone finisher (cast concrete products mfr), annealer (ceramics), annealer (glass), asbestos driller, asbestos sheeter, asbestos sprayer, asphalt maker, autoclave operator, back-end man, ball maker, banbury mixer, banbury operator, batch mixer and bead flipper (568 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Packs products ready for kiln setting
- Operates kilns, furnaces and ovens to produce cement clinker, linoleum cement and asphalt, to fire abrasive and carbon products, to make and treat glass and ceramic items, and otherwise cook and heat treat materials and products not elsewhere classified
- Operates masticating, calendaring, mixing, forming, shaping, moulding, extruding, cutting, trimming and winding machines to make and repair rubber products
- Operates machines to mix, blend, crush, wash and separate seeds and other materials not elsewhere classified
- Operates machines to produce flat and corrugated asbestos cement pipes and sheets
- Performs other processing tasks not elsewhere classified
There are no formal academic entry requirements, though some employers may expect entrants to possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically provided on-the-job, supplemented by specialist training courses. NVQs/SVQs in Performing Manufacturing Operations are available at levels 1, and 2.
Related
Process operatives (median £29,530) · Metal making and treating process operatives · Plastics 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