Sewing machinists: salary in the UK
About £21,838 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +2.7% on last year
£2,120 a month About £1,820 a month after tax 9 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 £18,486 in 2021 to £25,442 in 2026 (+38%); 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 | £15,901 | £18,486 | £21,040 | x |
| 2022 | x | £17,898 | £19,570 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £19,250 | £21,386 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £21,494 | £24,146 | £27,022 | x |
| 2025 | x | £22,577 | £24,781 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | £23,155 | £25,442 | £28,463 | 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 £25,442 a year and half earn more. That is 38% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £23,155 and £28,463.
Ranked by median, it is number 352 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,820 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,823 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £22,370 | £1,864 |
| 25th (P25) | £23,155 | £1,930 |
| 30th | £23,841 | £1,987 |
| 40th | £24,374 | £2,031 |
| Median (50th) | £25,442 | £2,120 |
| 60th | £26,439 | £2,203 |
| 70th | £27,496 | £2,291 |
| 75th (P75) | £28,463 | £2,372 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | x | £31,027 | x |
| Women | £24,899 | £24,778 | 7 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £21,838 | £1,820 |
| Scotland | £21,877 | £1,823 |
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 £25,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 277 job titles to SOC 8146 Sewing machinists. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Accoutrements maker
- Automatic machinist
- Backer
- Badge worker
- Bag machinist
- Bag maker
- Bag mender
- Bag sewer
- Bagger-out
- Barring machinist
- Bartack machinist
- Basting machinist
- Beader
- Bedding machinist
- Belt maker
- Binder
- Binding machinist
- Blanket binder
- Blanket machinist
- Blanket maker
- Blanket whipper
- Blouse machinist
- Bow maker
- Braider
- Burler
- Burler and mender
- Button hole maker
- Button holer
- Button machinist
- Button sewer
- Buttonhole hand
- Buttonhole machinist
- Buttonhole worker
- Buttoning machinist
- Canopy maker
- Canvas goods maker
- Canvas machinist
- Canvasser
- Cap finisher
- Cap machinist
- Carpet binder
- Carpet machinist
- Carpet mender
- Carpet picker
- Carpet repairer
- Carpet sewer
- Circular fabric machinist
- Clocker
- Closer
- Cloth mender
- Cloth picker
- Cloth sewer
- Clothing machinist
- Coat finisher
- Coat machinist
- Collar finisher
- Collar hand
- Collar machinist
- Collar maker
- Conveyor belt machinist
Show all 277 titles
- Cornelly machinist
- Cornely machinist
- Corset machinist
- Corset seamer
- Cup seamer
- Curtain finisher
- Cushion slipper
- Darning machinist
- Dress finisher
- Dress machinist
- Dress mender
- Dressmaker's machinist
- Elasticator
- Elasticator machinist
- Embroidery machinist
- Embroidery maker
- Embroidery mender
- Examiner and finisher
- Examiner and mender
- Fabric worker
- Fancy machinist
- Fanner
- Feather machinist
- Feller
- Feller hand
- Felling hand
- Felling machinist
- Felt sewer
- Fichu maker
- Fine drawer
- Finisher
- Finisher and liner
- Fishing rod bag maker
- Flag machinist
- Flat lock machinist
- Flat locker
- Flat machinist
- Foot machinist
- Friller
- Fur machinist
- Fur sewer
- Glove finisher
- Glove machinist
- Glove maker
- Glove manufacturer
- Glove sewer
- Glover
- Gown finisher
- Gown machinist
- Gun bag maker
- Hand flat machinist
- Hand machinist
- Hat leather binder
- Hat sewer
- Heald examiner
- Hem stitcher
- Hemmer
- Hemming machinist
- Hemstitch machinist
- Hemstitcher
- Horse rug and blanket machinist
- Hosiery machinist
- Hosiery maker-up
- Hosiery mender
- Hosiery repairer
- Invisible mender
- Jacket machinist
- Jacquard machinist
- Kilt finisher
- Knapsack maker
- Knicker machinist
- Knitting machinist
- Knot tier
- Knotter
- Lace machinist
- Lashing machinist
- Leather machinist
- Linen machinist
- Liner
- Lining machinist
- Lining maker
- Linker
- Lock stitcher
- Lockstitch machinist
- Looper
- Loose cover maker
- Machine pointer
- Machinist
- Maker-up
- Manufacturer
- Marquee maker
- Mender
- Millinery machinist
- Needle machinist
- Needle mistress
- Needle woman
- Needle worker
- Needlework hand
- Net machinist
- Net mender
- Net repairer
- Oilskin machinist
- Outer-wear machinist
- Outerwear machinist
- Overhead machinist
- Overlock machinist
- Overlocker
- Overlocking machinist
- Padder
- Padding machinist
- Palm and needle hand
- Pantographer
- Parachute maker
- Picker
- Piece mender
- Piece sewer
- Piecer-up
- Plain machinist
- Pleating machinist
- Post machinist
- Power knitter
- Purler
- Pyjama maker
- Quilter
- Quilting machinist
- Raiser and finisher
- Rectifier
- Renovator
- Repairer
- Repairer hand machinist
- Rosso operative
- Sack and bag maker
- Sack machinist
- Sack mender
- Sack repairer
- Sample hand
- Sample machinist
- Sand bag maker
- Seam sewer
- Seamer
- Seamer-round
- Seamless machinist
- Seamstress
- Sempstress
- Sewer
- Sewing hand
- Sewing machinist
- Sewing maid
- Sewing matron
- Sewing room assistant
- Sheet maker
- Sheet repairer
- Shirt finisher
- Shirt machinist
- Shroud maker
- Silk machinist
- Silk worker
- Silker
- Sleeve maker
- Sleever
- Sleeving machinist
- Slipper
- Soft toy machinist
- Spangle sewer
- Special machinist
- Spiler
- Stitch machinist
- Stitcher
- Stitching machinist
- Stocking machinist
- Strapper
- Surgical dressing machinist
- Surgical dressing maker
- Surgical hosiery machinist
- Surplice maker
- Suspender hand
- Suspender maker
- Tabber
- Tacker
- Tailor's finisher
- Tailor's machinist
- Tape machinist
- Tarpaulin maker
- Tarpaulin repairer
- Tennis ball stitcher
- Tent machinist
- Tent repairer
- Tent sewer
- Textile machinist
- Thumber
- Tie machinist
- Tie maker
- Tie slipper
- Topper
- Towel machinist
- Trimmer
- Trimming maker
- Trimmings maker
- Trouser finisher
- Trouser machinist
- Tucking machinist
- Tyre cover maker
- Umbrella coverer
- Umbrella finisher
- Umbrella tipper
- Upholsterer's assistant
- Upholsterer's machinist
- Upholstery machinist
- Vest machinist
- Welt machinist
- Welter
- Welting machinist
- Wheel machinist
- Wool mat maker
- Work room mistress
- Yarn picker
- Zigzag machinist
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.