Quality assurance technicians: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time quality assurance technicians in the UK earned a median £33,972 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £5,067 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 215th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £28,500 and £42,362.
Median full-time pay: women £30,920 a year, men £34,908 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 46,000 employee jobs, 93% full-time.
From £27,259 in 2021, the median is up 24.6%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 36,100 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 | £25,877 | £526.80 | £13.61 | £20,988* | £492.00 | £13.55 |
| 20th percentile | £27,991 | £552.40 | £14.35 | £26,895 | £538.50 | £14.35 |
| 25th percentile | £28,500 | £569.70 | £14.49 | £27,991 | £551.60 | £14.49 |
| 30th percentile | £29,362 | £588.50 | £14.89 | £28,512 | £569.50 | £14.87 |
| 40th percentile | £31,694 | £631.40 | £15.86 | £30,951 | £613.30 | £15.86 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £33,972 | £671.70 | £17.17 | £33,242 | £652.60 | £16.87 |
| 60th percentile | £36,097 | £735.80 | £19.05 | £35,577 | £720.50 | £18.62 |
| 70th percentile | £40,408 | £787.90 | £20.50 | £39,228 | £781.70 | £20.20 |
| 75th percentile | £42,362 | £829.50 | £21.99 | £42,155 | £808.40 | £21.33 |
| 80th percentile | £43,558* | £860.60 | £23.05 | £43,348* | £851.60 | £22.88 |
| Mean | £36,989 | £733.40 | £18.98 | £35,518 | £703.80 | £18.90 |
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 | £27,259 | £541.10 | £14.01 | £26,148 | £536.60 | 28* |
| 2022 revised | £28,540 | £567.90 | £14.38 | £28,418 | £560.80 | 27* |
| 2023 revised | £29,630 | £584.70 | £15.26 | £29,167 | £578.00 | 34 |
| 2024 revised | £31,340 | £612.80 | £15.34 | £30,677 | £598.00 | 39 |
| 2025 provisional | £33,972 | £671.70 | £17.17 | £33,242 | £652.60 | 46 |
Quality assurance technicians by region
UK: 36,100 (± 7,400), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What quality assurance technicians do
Quality assurance technicians perform a variety of technical inspections and testing and monitoring tasks to detect processing, manufacturing and other defects. (ONS SOC 2020, 3115)
Also covers: quality analyst, quality assurance coordinator, quality control technician, quality officer, quality technician, test technician, materials technician, NDT technician, qa coordinator, QA technician, QC technician, technical auditor, non-destructive testing technician, quality assurance auditor, quality assurance technician and water quality technician.
- Sets up scientific, electronic, or other technical equipment to perform functional and inspection tests
- Analyses and interprets the results of tests undertaken and writes up reports upon completion
- Supervises the work of routine inspection staff and notes any defects reported
- Assists quality control engineers in undertaking production audits
- Liaises with production engineers and staff to maintain the quality of output and to develop quality management systems.
- Establishes product specifications
Entrants normally possess a degree, GCSEs/S grades, a BTEC/ SQA award or A levels/H grades. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by training courses where instruction in specific techniques is required. Various industry-specific qualifications encompass aspects of quality control.
Related
Science, engineering and production technicians (median £36,163) · Building and civil engineering technicians · Planning, process and production technicians · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026