Routine inspectors and testers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time routine inspectors and testers in the UK earned a median £34,360 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £4,679 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 210th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £28,338 and £43,307.
Median full-time pay: women £29,058 a year, men £36,744 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 39,000 employee jobs, 95% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 30.3% (from £26,375), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 54,800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £25,153 | £498.30 | £12.93 | £23,837 | £475.70 | £12.86 |
| 20th percentile | £26,785 | £530.40 | £13.55 | £25,956 | £515.90 | £13.44 |
| 25th percentile | £28,338 | £552.00 | £13.91 | £27,159 | £531.30 | £13.76 |
| 30th percentile | £29,143 | £567.60 | £14.41 | £28,567 | £553.80 | £14.31 |
| 40th percentile | £31,783 | £616.00 | £15.61 | £31,019 | £592.90 | £15.40 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £34,360 | £685.80 | £17.39 | £33,982 | £670.80 | £17.10 |
| 60th percentile | £37,488 | £747.50 | £18.90 | £36,739 | £718.80 | £18.84 |
| 70th percentile | £41,477 | £811.70 | £20.06 | £40,428 | £802.40 | £19.95 |
| 75th percentile | £43,307 | £857.50 | £21.03 | £42,588 | £841.70 | £20.75 |
| 80th percentile | £47,209 | £902.10 | £21.80 | £46,754 | £896.10 | £21.73 |
| Mean | £37,283 | £726.40 | £18.23 | £35,858 | £694.60 | £18.22 |
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 | £26,375 | £490.80 | £12.76 | £25,159 | £480.50 | 36 |
| 2022 revised | £26,727* | £550.10 | £13.54 | £26,504* | £535.30 | 41 |
| 2023 revised | £30,746 | £609.70 | £15.47 | £30,056 | £587.70 | 30 |
| 2024 revised | £32,198 | £639.10 | £16.24 | £31,249 | £620.90 | 39 |
| 2025 provisional | £34,360 | £685.80 | £17.39 | £33,982 | £670.80 | 39 |
Routine inspectors and testers by region
UK: 54,800 (± 9,100), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What routine inspectors and testers do
Routine inspectors and testers inspect and/or test metal stock, parts and products, electrical plant, machinery and electronic components, systems and sub-assemblies, textiles, wood, paper, food, plastics and rubber goods, parts and materials to detect processing, manufacturing and other defects. (ONS SOC 2020, 8143)
Also covers: quality assurance inspector, quality auditor, quality controller, quality inspector, test engineer, adjuster (telephone), aeronautical inspector, aid inspector, aircraft inspector, aircraft tester, ammunition examiner, ammunition viewer, armaments examiner, armaments inspector, assembly inspector, assorter (tinplate), bag examiner and balloon tester (356 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Examines articles for surface flaws such as cracks, dents, defective sealing or broken wires by visual inspection or using aids such as microscopes or magnifying glasses
- Checks sequence of assembly operations and checks assemblies and sub-assemblies against parts lists to detect missing items
- Sets up test equipment, connects items/system to power source/pressure outlet, etc. and operates controls to check performance and operation of electrical plant and machinery and electronics systems
- Examines yarn packages, textile fabrics and garments, wood or wood products, paper and paperboard, plastics and rubber materials, food products, food storage containers, etc., checks specifications, marks any repairable defects and rejects faulty items
- Reports any recurrent or major defects and recommends improvements to production methods
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers require candidates to possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by training courses where instruction in specific techniques is required. Various NVQs/SVQs encompass aspects of quality control.
Related
Assemblers and routine operatives (median £29,992) · Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) · Weighers, graders and sorters · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026