Textile process operatives: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time textile process operatives in the UK earned a median £27,915 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 28% 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 (63rd from the bottom).
Median full-time pay: women £23,682 a year, men £28,738 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 41.6 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
About 78% of the roughly 9,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 15.6%, from £24,144, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | £24,153 | £494.20 | £12.49 | £18,652* | £365.70* | £12.34 |
| 25th percentile | £24,532 | £514.30 | £12.81 | £21,408* | £440.10* | £12.46 |
| 30th percentile | £25,245 | £519.70 | £13.00 | £22,305 | £466.40* | £12.71 |
| 40th percentile | £26,585 | £546.80 | £13.71 | £24,396 | £511.40 | £13.09 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £27,915 | £598.30 | £14.21 | £25,572 | £543.40 | £13.70 |
| 60th percentile | £30,939* | £651.70 | £14.99 | £27,412 | £576.20 | £14.40 |
| 70th percentile | £31,756* | £707.20* | £15.25* | £30,806* | £650.90* | £15.02 |
| 75th percentile | – | – | – | – | £689.60* | £15.11* |
| Mean | £30,526 | £644.50 | £15.17 | £26,589 | £557.50 | £14.93 |
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 | £24,144* | £427.70 | £10.30 | £21,410* | £412.20 | 9* |
| 2022 revised | £24,188* | £504.10 | £11.77 | £22,420* | £484.50 | 10* |
| 2023 revised | £27,212 | £520.70 | £12.64 | £24,881 | £480.30 | 10* |
| 2024 revised | £27,983 | £549.20 | £13.48 | £25,798 | £518.50 | 9* |
| 2025 provisional | £27,915 | £598.30 | £14.21 | £25,572 | £543.40 | 9* |
What textile process operatives do
Textile process operatives operate machines to prepare natural and synthetic fibres for processing, spin and twist fibre into yarn, thread, twine, rope and other similar material, and estimate the quantities of colouring matter required for printing and dyeing fabrics. (ONS SOC 2020, 8112)
Also covers: factory worker (clothing mfr), hosiery worker, machinist (rope, twine mfr), process worker (textile mfr), spinner (paper twine mfr), accordion pleater, ageing machinist, asbestos braider, asbestos calenderer, asbestos carder, asbestos doubler, asbestos grinder, asbestos opener, asbestos rover, asbestos spinner, assistant driver, back filler and back hand (1,089 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Sets controls, starts machinery and monitors the passage of material processed
- Replenishes the supply of input fibres, removes and replaces full output packages, cards and spools
- Detects blockages, tangled thread, defective or broken material, and joins broken ends by hand or mechanical knotting
- Checks quality of completed material, marks any flaws and removes badly damaged sections
- Examines colour cards or specifications, estimates quantity of colouring material needed to print or dye fibre and calculates and mixes ingredients accordingly
- Stretches, shrinks, brushes, dampens and presses fabric and shears or burns off protruding fabric fibres as required
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically provided on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs relating to textile manufacture at levels 2 and 3 and apprenticeships are available.
Related
Process operatives (median £29,530) · Food, drink and tobacco process operatives · Chemical and related 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