Salary Guide 2026
09.02.2026
Make UK’s Manufacturing Salary Guide 2026 provides a clear, practical benchmark for pay and benefits across the manufacturing sector.
Built from data shared by 227 manufacturing businesses between December 2025 and January 2026, the Guide covers more than 100 roles and is designed to support real decisions around pay, recruitment and retention.
Whether you are reviewing salaries, struggling to fill key roles, or looking to reduce retention risk, this Guide gives you a reliable point of reference based on what manufacturers are actually paying.
What the Salary Guide covers
The Salary Guide 2026 includes detailed pay data for:
- Workforce roles
- Professional and managerial roles
- Director-level roles
For each role level, the Guide provides:
- Average basic and total salaries
- Common benefits offered
- Average time taken to fill roles
The data is also broken down by:
- Region
- Company size (headcount)
This allows you to compare like with like, rather than relying on broad national averages.
How employers use the Guide
Manufacturers use the Salary Guide 2026 to:
- Sense-check whether their pay is still competitive
- Understand why certain roles are taking longer to fill
- Support recruitment planning and budgeting
- Identify potential retention risks
- Inform pay reviews and reward discussions
It is designed to be easy to use and quick to reference, helping busy teams make more confident decisions.
Survey methodology
The data in the Salary Guide 2026 is drawn from a survey of 227 manufacturing businesses across a range of sectors and regions within England and Wales.
The survey was carried out between 1 December 2025 and 6 January 2026 and covers more than 100 roles across workforce, professional, managerial and director levels.
Accessing the Salary Guide 2026
The Manufacturing Salary Guide 2026 is available to purchase online.
- Make UK members who completed the Salary Guide survey will have received a free copy directly via email.
- Members who did not complete the survey can log in to access the Guide at a discounted rate (£199).
- Non-members can purchase the Guide at full price (£349). Explore our membership options to receive the Guide and our other paid-reports - the quarterly HR Bulletin, Absence Benchmark, Labour Turnover, Shift Patterns and Premiums, Leave and Pay Entitlements, and Non-Financial Benefits - included in your membership fee.
Workforce roles:
- Accounts Clerk
- Accounts Supervisor
- Administrative Assistant
- Advanced Engineering Apprentice - Advanced
- Assembler
- Chargehand
- CNC Operator
- CNC Programmer/Setter
- Credit Control Clerk
- Credit Controller
- Customer Service Advisor
- Design Draughtsperson
- Electrical Assembler
- Electrical/Electronic Technician
- Engineering Apprentice - Degree
- Engineering Apprentice – Higher
- Engineering Apprentice - Intermediate
- Estimator
- Export Clerk
- Fettler
- Fitter – Electrical
- Fitter – Mechanical
- Fitter – Production
- Fitter & Assembler
- Food Production Operative
- Forklift Truck Driver
- Foundry Worker
- Furnace Operator
- Helpdesk Operator
- Human Resources Administrator
- Inspector
- Inspector/Viewer
- Junior Design Draughtsperson
- Laboratory Technician
- Labourer
- Lead Design Draughtsperson
- LGV Cat C + E Driver
- LGV Cat C Class 2 Driver
- Machinist – Semiskilled
- Machinist – Skilled
- Maintenance Electrical
- Maintenance Fitter
- Maintenance Technician
- Material Handler
- Moulder
- Moulding Machine Operator
- Multi-Skilled Maintenance Worker
- Network Support Technician
- Packer
- Painter/Sprayer
- Payroll Clerk
- Payroll Supervisor
- Plastic Moulding Machine Operator
- Plater
- Press Operator
- Press Operator Heavy Power
- Production Controller
- Production Planner
- Production/Manufacturing Technician
- Purchase Ledger Clerk
- Quality Controller
- Quality Technician
- Receptionist
- Sales Administrator
- Sales Ledger Clerk
- Secretary
- Senior Secretary/Personal Assistant
- Setter – CNC
- Setter – Non CNC
- Setter/Operator
- Setter/Operator – CNC
- Setter/Operator – Non CNC
- Sheet Metal Worker
- Stamping Press Operator
- Storekeeper
- Supervisor – Maintenance
- Supervisor – Production
- Team Leader – Skilled
- Team Leader Semi-skilled
- Technical Author/Writer
- Test Technician
- Tool Maker
- Van Driver
- Warehouse Operative
- Welder
- Wirer
Professionals and managerial roles:
- Accounting Manager
- Chemical Engineer
- Chief Accountant/Financial Controller
- Civil and Structural Engineer
- Commercial Manager
- Commissioning and Installation Engineer
- Contract Engineer
- Control Engineer
- Customer Services Manager
- Design Engineer
- Distribution Logistics/Distribution Manager
- Electrical/Electronic Engineer
- Engineer
- Engineering Design Office Manager
- Engineering Manager
- Facilities Manager
- Field Service Engineer
- General Company Secretary
- General/Operations Manager
- Hardware Engineer
- Head of Engineering
- Health and Safety Manager
- Human Resources Human Resources/Personnel Manager
- Information Technology Head of Information Technology
- Instrumentation and Control Engineer
- Maintenance Engineer
- Maintenance Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Materials Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Process Engineer
- Production/Manufacturing Engineer
- Production/Manufacturing Manager
- Project Engineer
- Project Manager
- Purchasing Manager
- Quality Engineer
- Quality Manager
- Research and Development Engineer
- Research and Development Manager
- Sales & Marketing Head of Sales
- Sales and Marketing Manager
- Sales Engineer
- Sales/Regional Sales Manager
- Senior Chemical Engineer
- Senior Civil and Structural Engineer
- Senior Commissioning and Installation
- Senior Contract Engineer
- Senior Design Engineer
- Senior Electrical/Electronic Engineer
- Senior Field Service Engineer
- Senior Hardware Engineer
- Senior Instrumentation and
- Senior Maintenance Engineer
- Senior Materials Engineer
- Senior Mechanical Engineer
- Senior Process Engineer
- Senior Production/Manufacturing Engineer
- Senior Project Engineer
- Senior Quality Engineer
- Senior Research and Development Engineer
- Senior Sales Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer
- Senior Stress Engineer
- Senior Test Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Stores/Warehouse Manager
- Stress Engineer
- Supply Chain Manager
- Systems Manager
- Test Engineer
- Training Manager
- Transport Manager
Director
- Chief Executive/Managing Director
- Commercial Director
- Engineering Director
- Finance Director
- Human Resources Director
- IT Director
- Marketing Director
- Operations Director
- Production/Manufacturing Director
- Project Director
- Purchasing Director
- Sales and Marketing Director
- Sales Director