Process engineer: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Production and process engineers (SOC 2125)
About £38,584 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +0.8% on last year
£4,058 a month About £3,215 a month after tax 53 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £41,402 in 2021 to £48,700 in 2026 (+18%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £24,375 | £31,878 | £41,402 | £48,462 | x |
| 2022 | £25,214 | £33,215 | £41,418 | £48,154 | x |
| 2023 | £27,951 | £35,930 | £44,011 | £53,528 | x |
| 2024 | £30,714 | £36,530 | £45,033 | £54,756 | x |
| 2025 | £29,955 | £39,592 | £48,308 | £58,931 | x |
| 2026 | x | £39,390 | £48,700 | £59,569 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £48,700 a year and half earn more. That is 19% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £39,390 and £59,569.
Ranked by median, it is number 83 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,215 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,114 in Scotland.
Men and women in this occupation have about the same median pay (£48,410 and £48,561).
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £36,809 | £3,067 |
| 25th (P25) | £39,390 | £3,283 |
| 30th | £41,446 | £3,454 |
| 40th | £45,356 | £3,780 |
| Median (50th) | £48,700 | £4,058 |
| 60th | £51,612 | £4,301 |
| 70th | £57,551 | £4,796 |
| 75th (P75) | £59,569 | £4,964 |
| 80th | £63,414 | £5,285 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £48,410 | £52,305 | 48 |
| Women | £48,561 | £48,733 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £38,584 | £3,215 |
| Scotland | £37,374 | £3,114 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 28 job titles to SOC 2125 Production and process engineers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Automation engineer
- Chemical engineer
- Chemical engineering consultant
- Continuous improvement engineer
- Control and instrument engineer
- Control and instrumentation engineer
- Engineer
- Explosive engineer
- Industrial consultant
- Industrial engineer
- Instrument engineer
- Instrumentation engineer
- Manufacturing systems engineer
- Petrochemical engineer
- Pharmaceutical engineer
- Plastics engineer
- Process control engineer
- Process engineer
- Product engineer
- Production adviser
- Production and planning engineer
- Production consultant
- Production control engineer
- Production engineer
- Production superintendent
- Productivity and costs officer
- Project coordinator
- Section leader
Similar occupations
All jobs in Professional occupations
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.