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Food production operative: salary in the UK

ONS occupation: Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (SOC 8111)

£30,400

About £25,408 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)

median salary a year, full-time, +6.9% on last year

£2,533 a month About £2,117 a month after tax 112 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 £21,271 in 2021 to £30,400 in 2026 (+43%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.

Figures by year
P10P25MedianP75P90
2021£16,021£18,384£21,271£25,525x
2022£17,497£19,956£23,510£27,955£33,451
2023£18,867£21,453£25,511£29,920£35,801
2024£20,595£23,362£27,042£32,715x
2025£21,536£24,491£28,442£33,919£40,655
2026£23,302£26,319£30,400£35,712£42,677

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 £30,400 a year and half earn more. That is 26% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).

The middle half earn between £26,319 and £35,712; the middle 80% between £23,302 and £42,677.

Ranked by median, it is number 280 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.

At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,117 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,120 in Scotland.

The median for men is £31,486 and for women £27,976, a gap of 11% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.

Percentiles

PercentileAnnualMonthly
10th (P10)£23,302£1,942
20th£25,452£2,121
25th (P25)£26,319£2,193
30th£27,099£2,258
40th£28,617£2,385
Median (50th)£30,400£2,533
60th£32,188£2,682
70th£34,318£2,860
75th (P75)£35,712£2,976
80th£37,510£3,126
90th (P90)£42,677£3,556

Men and women

MedianMeanJobs (thousands)
Men£31,486£32,73480
Women£27,976£28,84232

Take-home pay at the median

Where you livePer yearPer month
England, Wales, NI£25,408£2,117
Scotland£25,439£2,120

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 £30,000

Job titles in this occupation

ONS codes these 636 job titles to SOC 8111 Food, drink and tobacco process operatives. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.

Show all 636 titles

Similar occupations

All jobs in Process, plant and machine operatives

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.