jobfacts

Aerospace engineers

SOC 2020 2126

Aerospace engineers research develop and design aircraft, spacecraft and their components.

Also calledAerospace design engineerDesignerSystems engineerEngineerAircraft designerAerospace engineerand 19 more titles
Typical full-time pay£55,8002025 Provisional
People in the job42,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month140↑ 2.7%on last year · 370th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time aerospace engineers earn, 2025
£55,800 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£55,800
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £55,800
East of England!£44,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £55,800
East of England£44,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £46,400
  • 2024 £54,500
  • 2025 Provisional£55,800
↑ 20% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 140 jobs for aerospace engineers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026152
Jul 2026136
Jun 2026138
May 2026144
Apr 2026162
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026128
Jan 2026116
Dec 202581
Nov 2025118
Oct 2025186
Sept 2025183
Aug 2025148
Jul 2025137
Jun 2025107
May 2025205
Apr 2025236
Mar 2025202
Feb 2025124
Jan 2025108
Dec 202484
Nov 2024103
Oct 2024117
Sept 2024135
Aug 202490
Jul 202483
Jun 2024105
May 2024102
Apr 2024103
Mar 2024107
Feb 2024119
Jan 2024167
Dec 2023140
Nov 2023141
Oct 2023116
Sept 2023106
Aug 202396
Jul 2023118
Jun 2023180
May 2023142
Apr 2023155
Mar 2023165
Feb 2023200
Jan 2023215
Dec 2022209
Nov 2022259
Oct 2022259
Sept 2022205
Aug 2022192
Jul 2022183
Jun 2022161
May 2022179
Apr 2022127
Mar 2022165
Feb 2022188
Jan 2022166
Dec 2021139
Nov 2021109
Oct 2021133
Sept 2021112
Aug 202194
Jul 2021132
Jun 202191
May 2021125
Apr 2021165
Mar 2021191
Feb 202187
Jan 202187
Dec 202061
Nov 202068
Oct 202069
Sept 202078
Aug 202049
Jul 202070
Jun 202075
May 202091
Apr 2020118
Mar 2020138
Feb 2020143
Jan 2020162
Dec 2019136
Nov 2019175
Oct 2019193
Sept 2019194
Aug 2019158
Jul 2019206
Jun 2019204
May 2019165
Apr 2019136
Mar 2019167
Feb 2019140
Jan 2019191
Dec 2018114
Nov 2018145
Oct 2018167
Sept 2018179
Aug 2018167
Jul 2018186
Jun 2018156
May 2018190
Apr 2018150
Mar 2018167
Feb 2018170
Jan 2018225
Dec 2017203
Nov 2017216
Oct 2017232
Sept 2017230
Aug 2017214
Jul 2017189
Jun 2017265
May 2017273
Apr 2017273
Mar 2017296
Feb 2017218
Jan 2017262
Is there a shortage of aerospace engineers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in online job advert density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
50%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for engineering professionals, which includes aerospace engineers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London44
Bristol, City of32
Gloucester15
South Gloucestershire14
Somerset11
Derby10
Cambridge8
Birmingham8
Bath and North East Somerset7
North Somerset7
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where aerospace engineers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 186 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, Canada, Italy, ranking it 78th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of aerospace engineers
n/p
31%!
19%!
20%!
14%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3431% (small sample)
35–4419% (small sample)
45–5420% (small sample)
55–6414% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent69%
Higher education below degree!7%
A levels or equivalent!11%
GCSEs or equivalent!8.7%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent69%
Higher education below degree7% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent11% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent8.7% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery (48%), defence activities (15%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (7%), repair and maintenance of aircraft and spacecraft (5.4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
69%
as their highest qualification
Registration
Civil Aviation Authority
required for some roles: Civil Aviation Authority
Apprenticeships
2
from level 6, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
4 years
typically

Apprenticeships

2 for this job
Level 6About 4 yearsDegree

Aerospace engineer

You gain
BEng Aerospace engineering; BSc Aerospace engineering or other engineering degree that…; EAL Diploma in engineering and advanced manufacturing (development competence)
Registration
Civil Aviation Authority
Employers may ask for
Typically an apprentice might be expected to have already achieved academic qualifications of 96* UCAS points or above at A-Level standard or equivalent, to…
Details on Skills England
Level 6About 4 yearsDegree

Space systems engineer

You gain
A space engineering or space science degree or other space degree that fully aligns to…
Leads to
The Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET)
Employers may ask for
Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their space systems engineer apprentices. Typically, candidates will have achieved grade 4…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • conceives and develops engineering designs from product ideas in aerospace engineering
  • organises and plans projects, arranges work schedules, carries out inspection work and plans maintenance control
  • analyses test data; undertakes research and advises on all aspects of aircraft, spacecraft and their systems
  • ensures that equipment, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and safety standards
  • inspects completed aircraft maintenance work to certify that it meets standards and the aircraft is ready for operation

Skills

  • adjust engineering designs
  • approve engineering design
  • perform scientific research
  • use technical drawing software
  • adjust voltage
  • advise architects
  • advise on irrigation projects
  • advise on pollution prevention
  • analyse production processes for improvement
  • analyse stress resistance of products
  • analyse test data
  • apply advanced manufacturing
  • apply medical first aid on board ship
  • apply technical communication skills

Knowledge

  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • mechanical engineering
  • mechanics
  • technical drawings
  • 3D modelling
  • aerodynamics
  • agricultural production principles

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Working with ideas and solving problems

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes aerospace engineers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 18%about 394,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.