jobfacts

Delivery operatives

SOC 2020 9253

Delivery operatives load and unload goods from removal vans and delivery vehicles, convey household and office furniture, goods, equipment or other items, accompany drivers of road vehicles, and perform other elementary goods handling tasks.

Also calledDelivery assistantPorterDriver's mateLorry driver's assistantMotor porterLorry driver's mateand 60 more titles
Typical full-time pay£28,7002025 Provisional
People in the job22,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month690↓ 5.5%on last year · 230th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time delivery operatives earn between £24,800 and £33,200 a year.

What full-time delivery operatives earn, 2025
£28,700 typical£22,800lowest 10%£24,80025%£33,20075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£24,800–£33,200)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£22,800
Lowest 20% earn less than£23,900
25%£24,800
Median£28,700
75%£33,200
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £28,700
West Midlands!£32,000
London!£30,700
South West!£27,900
Yorkshire and The Humber!£27,200
East Midlands!£27,100
East of England!£25,800
Scotland!£25,600
North West!£25,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £28,700
West Midlands£32,000 (small sample)
London£30,700 (small sample)
South West£27,900 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£27,200 (small sample)
East Midlands£27,100 (small sample)
East of England£25,800 (small sample)
Scotland£25,600 (small sample)
North West£25,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £22,700
  • 2024 £26,100
  • 2025 Provisional£28,700
↑ 27% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 690 jobs for delivery operatives 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 (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026667
Jul 2026872
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026740
Apr 2026745
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026556
Jan 2026653
Dec 2025276
Nov 2025766
Oct 2025845
Sept 2025776
Aug 2025882
Jul 2025882
Jun 2025819
May 2025749
Apr 2025651
Mar 2025824
Feb 2025719
Jan 2025727
Dec 2024317
Nov 2024571
Oct 2024812
Sept 2024988
Aug 2024839
Jul 20241,423
Jun 2024918
May 2024921
Apr 2024874
Mar 20241,057
Feb 2024620
Jan 20241,149
Dec 2023579
Nov 2023595
Oct 2023619
Sept 2023722
Aug 2023722
Jul 20231,003
Jun 20231,381
May 20231,137
Apr 2023871
Mar 2023958
Feb 20231,055
Jan 20231,071
Dec 20221,006
Nov 20221,117
Oct 20221,141
Sept 20221,071
Aug 20221,217
Jul 20221,185
Jun 20221,264
May 20221,381
Apr 20221,209
Mar 20221,285
Feb 20221,175
Jan 20221,409
Dec 20211,191
Nov 20211,472
Oct 20211,727
Sept 20211,748
Aug 20211,512
Jul 20211,564
Jun 20211,426
May 20211,419
Apr 2021963
Mar 20211,355
Feb 2021544
Jan 2021686
Dec 2020607
Nov 2020649
Oct 2020979
Sept 20201,039
Aug 2020718
Jul 2020611
Jun 2020458
May 2020402
Apr 2020619
Mar 20201,044
Feb 20201,004
Jan 20201,142
Dec 2019974
Nov 20191,189
Oct 20191,149
Sept 20191,116
Aug 2019791
Jul 2019834
Jun 2019950
May 2019975
Apr 2019711
Mar 2019671
Feb 2019594
Jan 2019764
Dec 2018502
Nov 2018948
Oct 2018872
Sept 20181,036
Aug 2018878
Jul 2018808
Jun 2018861
May 2018879
Apr 2018703
Mar 2018784
Feb 2018710
Jan 2018843
Dec 2017522
Nov 2017766
Oct 2017834
Sept 2017921
Aug 2017994
Jul 2017901
Jun 20171,001
May 2017896
Apr 2017866
Mar 2017875
Feb 2017692
Jan 2017720
Is there a shortage of delivery operatives?
Not high

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

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hours worked, change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
20%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for elementary storage occupations, which includes delivery operatives. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London278
City of Edinburgh35
Bristol, City of34
Manchester31
Leeds30
North Lanarkshire25
West Northamptonshire23
County Durham22
North Yorkshire22
Sheffield22
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where delivery operatives 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 delivery operatives
n/p
26%!
11%!
32%!
8.8%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3426% (small sample)
35–4411% (small sample)
45–5432% (small sample)
55–648.8% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!9.5%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!19%
GCSEs or equivalent!45%
Other qualifications!15%
No qualifications!13%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent9.5% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent19% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent45% (small sample)
Other qualifications15% (small sample)
No qualifications13% (small sample)

Main employers: removal services (19%), other postal and courier activities (12%), retail sale of furniture, lighting equipment and other household articles in specialised stores (12%), defence activities (4.7%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
9.5%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 45%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 year
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© 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

  • loads and unloads goods from removal vans or delivery vehicles either by hand or using trolleys and lift trucks
  • takes receipt of goods from customers and maintains and accurate record of deliveries
  • dismantles and packages items for transport if necessary
  • accompanies driver on journey and assists with manoeuvres and to load and unload vehicle

Skills

  • lift heavy weights
  • use different communication channels
  • apply techniques for stacking goods into containers
  • implement efficiency plans for logistics operations
  • operate forklift
  • dispatch order processing
  • stack goods
  • tolerate stress
  • accommodate cargo in freight transport vehicle
  • adapt to changing situations
  • analyse supply chain strategies
  • climb on railcars
  • ensure public safety and security
  • follow stock control instructions

Knowledge

  • freight transport methods
  • safety regulations for warehouses
  • health and safety measures in transportation
  • international regulations for cargo handling
  • national regulations on handling cargo
  • products coding system

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for elementary administration and service occupations, a group of 26 jobs that includes delivery operatives.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 1.5%about 48,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 20351.5 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.