Florists: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 5443 · Skilled trades occupations

Florists

Florists sell flowers and related products in a wholesale or retail business, and design and make up floral bouquets, wreaths, tributes and other floral arrangements for sale to the public.

How people enter it

There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers may request GCSEs/S grades. Off and on-the-job training is provided. NVQs/SVQs in Floristry are available at levels 2 and 3. Professional qualifications are also available.

What the work involves

orders and purchases fresh flowers, foliage and other floristry items such as ribbons, wire, cards, artificial flowers etc. from wholesalers or growers
displays and cares for flowers, plants and ready-made floral arrangements in selling premises
designs and makes up wreaths, bouquets, posies, corsages, headdresses and button holes using appropriate flowers, foliage, frame and trimmings
confers with and advises customers regarding their design requirements and arranges for the delivery of floral arrangements as requested by the customer
decorates buildings, halls, churches or other facilities for parties, weddings, etc
sells flowers, plants, foliage etc. to the public and performs retail duties such as keeping accounts

Also called

Floral assistant · Floral designer · Florist · Flower arranger

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
5443 : Florists	None	None	2026-03	6,900.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5443 : Florists	None	None	2026-03	8,000.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5443 : Florists	None	None	2026-03	8,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5443 : Florists	None	None	2026-03	—	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500
5443 : Florists	None	None	2026-03	600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5443 : Florists	None	None	2026-03	9,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5443 : Florists	None	None	2026-03	1,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	5443 : Florists	None	600.00	2026-03
East Midlands	5443 : Florists	None	1,000.00	2026-03
London	5443 : Florists	None	withheld	2026-03
North East	5443 : Florists	None	withheld	2026-03
North West	5443 : Florists	None	1,000.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	5443 : Florists	None	withheld	2026-03
Scotland	5443 : Florists	None	600.00	2026-03
South East	5443 : Florists	None	2,300.00	2026-03
South West	5443 : Florists	None	withheld	2026-03
Wales	5443 : Florists	None	1,100.00	2026-03
West Midlands	5443 : Florists	None	withheld	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	5443 : Florists	None	1,200.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for florists vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 7 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Furniture makers and other craft woodworkers · Glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers · Other skilled trades n.e.c.