Occupation 8120 · Process, plant and machine operatives
Metal working machine operatives operate machines to cut, shape, abrade and otherwise machine metal, use hand and power tools to remove surplus metal and rough surfaces from castings, forgings or other metal parts, and clean, smooth and polish metal workpieces.
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. NVQs/SVQs in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering are available.
Engineer (nos) · Machinist (metal trades) · Metal polisher · Process worker (metal trades) · Shot blaster
| Measure | Hours | Basis | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 23,300.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 26,700.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 27,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 1,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | — | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500 |
| 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 28,100.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 3,400.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
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 | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 1,500.00 | 2026-03 |
| East Midlands | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 3,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| London | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 800.00 | 2026-03 |
| North East | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 1,500.00 | 2026-03 |
| North West | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 5,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| Northern Ireland | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 1,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| Scotland | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| South East | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 2,300.00 | 2026-03 |
| South West | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 3,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| Wales | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 3,400.00 | 2026-03 |
| West Midlands | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 2,400.00 | 2026-03 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 8120 : Metal working machine operatives | None | 3,500.00 | 2026-03 |
ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 11 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.
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.