Precision instrument makers and repairers: salary in the UK
About £32,242 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +4.4% on last year
£3,324 a month About £2,687 a month after tax 10 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 £27,224 in 2021 to £39,893 in 2026 (+47%); 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 | x | £21,958 | £27,224 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £24,202 | £30,576 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £25,852 | £30,272 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £28,311 | £33,180 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £30,756 | £38,226 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | £32,219 | £39,893 | x | 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 £39,893 a year and half earn more. That is 2% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 153 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£47,491) is well above the median: a minority in this job earn much more than most.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,687 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,682 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £30,282 | £2,524 |
| 25th (P25) | £32,219 | £2,685 |
| 30th | £32,573 | £2,714 |
| 40th | £36,856 | £3,071 |
| Median (50th) | £39,893 | £3,324 |
| 60th | £43,275 | £3,606 |
| 70th | x | x |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £40,067 | £48,164 | 10 |
| Women | x | x | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £32,242 | £2,687 |
| Scotland | £32,178 | £2,682 |
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 £40,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 117 job titles to SOC 5224 Precision instrument makers and repairers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Adjuster
- Balance maker
- Balance screw maker
- Barometer maker
- Barometer mounter
- Bench hand
- Bench worker
- Binocular framer
- Boxer-in
- Calibration engineer
- Calibration technician
- Calibrator
- Camera finisher
- Camera fitter
- Camera maker
- Camera mechanic
- Camera repairer
- Camera technician
- Chronometer maker
- Chronometer repairer
- Clock cleaner
- Clock fitter
- Clock maker
- Clock mechanic
- Clock repairer
- Clock restorer
- Clockwork repairer
- Cog maker
- Compass adjuster
- Compass maker
- Compass mechanic
- Craftsman
- Dial maker
- Field glass maker
- Fitter
- Frame maker
- Galvanometer maker
- Gauge fitter
- Gong maker
- Hand divider
- Horological engineer
- Horologist
- Hydrometer maker
- Instrument craftsman
- Instrument engineer
- Instrument fitter
- Instrument maker
- Instrument manufacturer
- Instrument mechanic
- Instrument repairer
- Instrument technician
- Jeweller and watch repairer
- Jeweller and watchmaker
- Maintenance engineer
- Maintenance man
- Manufacturer
- Mathematical instrument divider
- Mathematical rule maker
- Measurement and control technician
- Mechanic
Show all 117 titles
- Meter cleaner
- Meter engineer
- Meter fitter
- Meter hand
- Meter maker
- Meter repairer
- Micrometer maker
- Microscope maker
- Mounter
- Movement maker
- Opera glass maker
- Optical fitter
- Optical instrument mechanic
- Optical polisher
- Optical technician
- Pedometer maker
- Photographic apparatus maker
- Photographic engineer
- Precision engineer
- Precision fitter
- Precision instrument maker
- Precision instrument tester-rectifier
- Pressure gauge maker
- Repairer
- Rule maker
- Scale fitter
- Scale repairer
- Service fitter
- Service mechanic
- Setter
- Ship's telegraph fitter
- Speedometer fitter
- Speedometer maker
- Spirit level maker
- Steam gauge maker
- Tachograph engineer
- Taximeter fitter
- Taximeter maker
- Telescope maker
- Tester
- Thermometer divider
- Thermometer graduator
- Thermometer mounter
- Time recorder mechanic
- Timer
- Watch and clock maker
- Watch and clock repairer
- Watch cleaner
- Watch maker
- Watch repairer
- Watch repairer and jeweller
- Watch technician
- Watchmaker
- Watchmaker and jeweller
- Weight tester
- Wheel maker
- Wheel mounter
Similar occupations
All jobs in Skilled trades 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.