Farm workers: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 9111 · Elementary occupations

Farm workers

Farm workers perform a variety of tasks, by hand and machine, to produce and harvest crops and to breed and rear cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.

How people enter it

There are no minimum academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by vocational training at an agricultural college. A variety of vocational qualifications in Agriculture are available at levels 1, 2 and 3, together with BTEC diplomas and apprenticeships in some areas.

What the work involves

operates farm machinery to prepare soil, fertilise and treat crops
cultivates growing crops by hoeing, spraying and thinning as necessary
weighs and measures foodstuffs, feeds animals and checks them for any signs of disease
cleans barns, sheds, pens, yards, incubators and breeding units and sterilises milking and other equipment as necessary
Treats minor ailments, delivers vaccinations and other medicines under the direction of the veterinary surgeon, and assists the veterinary surgeon as required
Catches, moves, and handles livestock, including in preparation for transport
carries out maintenance on farm buildings, hedges, ditches and erects and repairs fences

Also called

Agricultural worker · Farm labourer · Farm worker · Herdsman · Poultry catcher · Shepherd

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
9111 : Farm workers	None	None	2026-03	29,000.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
9111 : Farm workers	None	None	2026-03	30,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
9111 : Farm workers	None	None	2026-03	37,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
9111 : Farm workers	None	None	2026-03	3,500.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
9111 : Farm workers	None	None	2026-03	6,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
9111 : Farm workers	None	None	2026-03	40,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
9111 : Farm workers	None	None	2026-03	1,700.00	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	9111 : Farm workers	None	2,100.00	2026-03
East Midlands	9111 : Farm workers	None	3,800.00	2026-03
London	9111 : Farm workers	None	withheld	2026-03
North East	9111 : Farm workers	None	1,700.00	2026-03
North West	9111 : Farm workers	None	5,300.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	9111 : Farm workers	None	3,500.00	2026-03
Scotland	9111 : Farm workers	None	6,400.00	2026-03
South East	9111 : Farm workers	None	3,700.00	2026-03
South West	9111 : Farm workers	None	7,500.00	2026-03
Wales	9111 : Farm workers	None	1,700.00	2026-03
West Midlands	9111 : Farm workers	None	2,800.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	9111 : Farm workers	None	2,000.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for farm workers vary by region?

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.

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

Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations n.e.c. · Forestry and related workers