jobfacts

Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods)

SOC 2020 8142

Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) undertake the routine assembly of vehicles and other metal goods or components such as frames, axles, wire brushes and wheels.

Also calledLamp assemblerAssociateAssemblerRiveting machinistStove assemblerTrim line operatorand 96 more titles
Typical full-time pay£31,9002025 Provisional
People in the job24,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month708↑ 5%on last year · 226th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) earn between £26,600 and £40,300 a year.

What full-time assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) earn, 2025
£31,900 typical£23,800lowest 10%£42,000top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£26,600–£40,300)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£23,800
Lowest 20% earn less than£25,900
25%£26,600
Median£31,900
75%£40,300
Top 20% earn more than£42,000
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £31,900
Wales!£36,800
North East£36,200
South East!£29,500
East of England!£29,100
Scotland!£28,300
South West!£27,700
West Midlands£27,600
North West!£27,000
Yorkshire and The Humber!£26,700
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £31,900
Wales£36,800 (small sample)
North East£36,200
South East£29,500 (small sample)
East of England£29,100 (small sample)
Scotland£28,300 (small sample)
South West£27,700 (small sample)
West Midlands£27,600
North West£27,000 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£26,700 (small sample)
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £33,200
  • 2024 £32,900
  • 2025 Provisional£31,900
↓ 3.8% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 708 jobs for assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) 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 2026801
Jul 2026766
Jun 2026711
May 2026793
Apr 2026757
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026714
Jan 2026725
Dec 2025347
Nov 2025685
Oct 2025754
Sept 2025736
Aug 2025718
Jul 2025813
Jun 2025794
May 2025810
Apr 2025600
Mar 2025736
Feb 2025678
Jan 2025665
Dec 2024330
Nov 2024577
Oct 2024652
Sept 2024784
Aug 2024773
Jul 2024878
Jun 2024784
May 2024833
Apr 2024763
Mar 2024581
Feb 2024512
Jan 2024678
Dec 2023431
Nov 2023556
Oct 2023555
Sept 2023532
Aug 2023785
Jul 2023710
Jun 2023944
May 2023878
Apr 2023677
Mar 2023850
Feb 2023797
Jan 2023904
Dec 2022626
Nov 2022872
Oct 2022879
Sept 2022893
Aug 2022983
Jul 20221,007
Jun 2022815
May 20221,030
Apr 2022774
Mar 2022913
Feb 2022879
Jan 2022915
Dec 2021667
Nov 2021853
Oct 2021942
Sept 2021925
Aug 2021858
Jul 2021985
Jun 2021878
May 2021889
Apr 2021858
Mar 20211,067
Feb 2021540
Jan 2021664
Dec 2020490
Nov 2020570
Oct 2020770
Sept 2020619
Aug 2020538
Jul 2020447
Jun 2020341
May 2020223
Apr 2020304
Mar 2020537
Feb 2020696
Jan 2020699
Dec 2019555
Nov 2019611
Oct 2019727
Sept 2019666
Aug 2019637
Jul 2019828
Jun 2019722
May 2019748
Apr 2019555
Mar 2019533
Feb 2019571
Jan 2019694
Dec 2018371
Nov 2018573
Oct 2018576
Sept 2018620
Aug 2018602
Jul 2018591
Jun 2018553
May 2018521
Apr 2018522
Mar 2018503
Feb 2018516
Jan 2018596
Dec 2017377
Nov 2017548
Oct 2017628
Sept 2017621
Aug 2017651
Jul 2017650
Jun 2017746
May 2017732
Apr 2017678
Mar 2017783
Feb 2017591
Jan 2017606
Is there a shortage of assemblers (vehicles and metal goods)?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
54%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for assemblers and routine operatives, which includes assemblers (vehicles and metal goods). DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London172
Birmingham47
Bristol, City of39
Leeds37
Manchester35
East Riding of Yorkshire27
North Northamptonshire26
Somerset25
Kingston upon Hull, City of25
Wiltshire23
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. 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 assemblers (vehicles and metal goods)
16%!
n/p
25%!
16%!
30%!
2.5%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2416% (small sample)
25–34Not published
35–4425% (small sample)
45–5416% (small sample)
55–6430% (small sample)
65+2.5% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!12%
Higher education below degree!7.4%
A levels or equivalent!25%
GCSEs or equivalent!21%
Other qualifications!14%
No qualifications!12%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent12% (small sample)
Higher education below degree7.4% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent25% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent21% (small sample)
Other qualifications14% (small sample)
No qualifications12% (small sample)

Main employers: manufacture of motor vehicles (21%), manufacture of other parts and accessories for motor vehicles (14%), manufacture of engines and turbines, except aircraft, vehicle and cycle engines (5.8%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (5.4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
12%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 25%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • follows instructions and drawings and positions components on work bench or in assembly machine
  • assembles prepared components in sequence by soldering, bolting, fastening, spot-welding, screwing and hammering using power and hand tools or assembly machine
  • rejects faulty assembly components
  • inspects finished article for faults, monitors assembly machine operation and reports any faults

Skills

  • inspect quality of products
  • monitor automated machines
  • record production data for quality control
  • fasten components
  • set up the controller of a machine
  • use technical documentation
  • wear appropriate protective gear
  • align components
  • assemble metal parts
  • check quality of raw materials
  • heat metals
  • perform pre-assembly quality checks
  • read standard blueprints
  • troubleshoot

Knowledge

  • quality standards
  • manufacturing of sports equipment
  • explosives
  • metal joining technologies
  • metal smoothing technologies
  • technical drawings
  • types of metal

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for process, plant, machine and construction operatives, a group of 25 jobs that includes assemblers (vehicles and metal goods).
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 19%about 142,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035496,000including 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.