jobfacts

Clergy

SOC 2020 2463

Members of the clergy provide spiritual motivation and guidance, conduct worship according to the form of service of a particular faith/denomination and perform related functions associated with religious beliefs and practices.

Also calledPastorSisterBishopChaplainHospital chaplainMajorand 39 more titles
Typical full-time pay£31,2002025 Provisional
People in the job41,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month250↓ 16%on last year · 326th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time clergy earn between £30,300 and £37,300 a year.

What full-time clergy earn, 2025
£31,200 typical£28,000lowest 10%£30,30025%£39,000top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£30,300–£37,300)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£28,000
Lowest 20% earn less than£29,500
25%£30,300
Median£31,200
75%£37,300
Top 20% earn more than£39,000
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £31,200
London!£31,800
South West!£31,600
East Midlands!£31,500
East of England!£31,400
South East£31,200
North East!£31,000
North West!£30,600
West Midlands!£30,400
Wales!£28,900
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £31,200
London£31,800 (small sample)
South West£31,600 (small sample)
East Midlands£31,500 (small sample)
East of England£31,400 (small sample)
South East£31,200
North East£31,000 (small sample)
North West£30,600 (small sample)
West Midlands£30,400 (small sample)
Wales£28,900 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £27,600
  • 2024 £29,600
  • 2025 Provisional£31,200
↑ 13% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 250 jobs for clergy are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026183
Jul 2026218
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026266
Apr 2026295
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026214
Jan 2026258
Dec 2025173
Nov 2025248
Oct 2025370
Sept 2025274
Aug 2025236
Jul 2025268
Jun 2025372
May 2025433
Apr 2025314
Mar 2025382
Feb 2025392
Jan 2025291
Dec 2024212
Nov 2024278
Oct 2024298
Sept 2024240
Aug 2024224
Jul 2024335
Jun 2024312
May 2024355
Apr 2024384
Mar 2024385
Feb 2024335
Jan 2024398
Dec 2023298
Nov 2023282
Oct 2023269
Sept 2023306
Aug 2023380
Jul 2023540
Jun 20231,165
May 20231,036
Apr 2023799
Mar 2023951
Feb 2023456
Jan 2023641
Dec 2022465
Nov 2022607
Oct 2022917
Sept 2022664
Aug 2022431
Jul 2022430
Jun 2022435
May 2022546
Apr 2022410
Mar 2022468
Feb 2022416
Jan 2022435
Dec 2021329
Nov 2021380
Oct 2021440
Sept 2021363
Aug 2021316
Jul 2021424
Jun 2021465
May 2021428
Apr 2021342
Mar 2021406
Feb 2021279
Jan 2021274
Dec 2020222
Nov 2020243
Oct 2020370
Sept 2020221
Aug 2020199
Jul 2020266
Jun 2020211
May 2020224
Apr 2020248
Mar 2020442
Feb 2020416
Jan 2020440
Dec 2019327
Nov 2019402
Oct 2019479
Sept 2019306
Aug 2019293
Jul 2019354
Jun 2019328
May 2019892
Apr 2019319
Mar 2019316
Feb 2019321
Jan 2019357
Dec 2018228
Nov 2018356
Oct 2018370
Sept 2018366
Aug 2018256
Jul 2018253
Jun 2018458
May 2018362
Apr 2018412
Mar 2018431
Feb 2018533
Jan 2018358
Dec 2017295
Nov 2017370
Oct 2017371
Sept 2017316
Aug 2017251
Jul 2017373
Jun 2017318
May 2017339
Apr 2017310
Mar 2017307
Feb 2017312
Jan 2017364
Is there a shortage of clergy?
Elevated

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

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedWell above usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
28%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for business, media and public service professionals, which includes clergy. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London176
Manchester23
Leeds19
Bristol, City of17
Birmingham14
East Hertfordshire14
Glasgow City11
Liverpool10
Salford10
City of Edinburgh10
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where clergy are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 1,738 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, India, Nigeria, ranking it 9th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of clergy
n/p
2.3%!
22%!
22%!
38%!
17%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–342.3% (small sample)
35–4422% (small sample)
45–5422% (small sample)
55–6438% (small sample)
65+17% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent84%
Higher education below degree!7%
A levels or equivalent!5.8%
GCSEs or equivalent!2.5%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent84%
Higher education below degree7% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent5.8% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent2.5% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: activities of religious organisations (83%), other education nec (8.3%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (2.5%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
84%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 6, a degree apprenticeship
Apprenticeships take
3 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job
Level 6About 3 yearsDegree

Church minister

You gain
Bachelors degree with honours in theology and ministry
Employers may ask for
Individual employers and those appointing office holders will set the selection criteria for their apprentices, which may in some cases include eligibility…
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

  • prepares and delivers sermons and talks and leads congregation in worship
  • interprets doctrines and instructs intending clergy members in religious principles and practices
  • provides and arranges the provision of religious instruction to congregation members
  • performs marriages, funerals, baptisms and other special religious rites
  • provides pastoral care to members of the congregation in their homes and in hospitals and counsels those in need of spiritual or moral guidance
  • undertakes administration and social duties as required

Skills

  • interpret religious texts
  • perform religious ceremonies
  • prepare religious services
  • promote religious activities
  • provide spiritual counselling
  • teach religious texts
  • develop policies on religion-related matters
  • guide conversion
  • provide charity services
  • reinforce positive behaviour
  • manage fundraising activities
  • perform church service
  • perform fundraising activities
  • apply knowledge of human behaviour

Knowledge

  • Bible texts
  • psychological counselling methods
  • quran
  • vocal techniques

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business, media and public service professionals, a group of 32 jobs that includes clergy.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 26%about 670,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20352.1 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.

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