jobfacts

Electrical and electronic trades n.e.c.

SOC 2020 5249

Job holders in this group perform a variety of electrical and electronic occupations not elsewhere classified in minor group 524: Electrical and electronic trades.

Also calledElectronics engineerBroadcast engineerSignalling technicianCraftsmanLinesmanInstallerand 45 more titles
Typical full-time pay£48,6002025 Provisional
People in the job18,000across the UK
New adverts a month2,100↑ 1.9%on last year · 88th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time electrical and electronic trades n.e.c. earn between £38,300 and £59,800 a year.

What full-time electrical and electronic trades n.e.c. earn, 2025
£48,600 typical£31,500lowest 10%£38,30025%£59,80075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£38,300–£59,800)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£31,500
Lowest 20% earn less than£35,700
25%£38,300
Median£48,600
75%£59,800
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £48,600
Yorkshire and The Humber!£56,600
South East!£52,300
London!£51,900
Scotland!£51,300
East Midlands!£46,000
South West!£44,100
Wales!£43,500
West Midlands!£40,100
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £48,600
Yorkshire and The Humber£56,600 (small sample)
South East£52,300 (small sample)
London£51,900 (small sample)
Scotland£51,300 (small sample)
East Midlands£46,000 (small sample)
South West£44,100 (small sample)
Wales£43,500 (small sample)
West Midlands£40,100 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £42,400
  • 2024 £46,200
  • 2025 Provisional£48,600
↑ 14% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 2,100 jobs for electrical and electronic trades n.e.c. are advertised each month.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20262,345
Jul 20262,024
Jun 2026Not published
May 20261,837
Apr 20261,997
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,818
Jan 20262,273
Dec 20251,245
Nov 20252,255
Oct 20252,459
Sept 20252,525
Aug 20252,116
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20252,623
Apr 20252,162
Mar 20252,481
Feb 20252,442
Jan 20252,287
Dec 20241,240
Nov 20241,676
Oct 20241,834
Sept 20242,030
Aug 20241,977
Jul 20242,205
Jun 20242,141
May 20242,445
Apr 20242,471
Mar 20242,118
Feb 20242,185
Jan 20243,003
Dec 20231,987
Nov 20232,509
Oct 20232,483
Sept 20232,274
Aug 20232,453
Jul 20232,746
Jun 20233,352
May 20233,015
Apr 20232,574
Mar 20233,005
Feb 20233,306
Jan 20233,864
Dec 20223,213
Nov 20223,440
Oct 20223,597
Sept 20223,288
Aug 20223,673
Jul 20223,697
Jun 20223,456
May 20223,350
Apr 20222,998
Mar 20223,764
Feb 20223,316
Jan 20223,454
Dec 20213,214
Nov 20212,757
Oct 20212,771
Sept 20212,665
Aug 20212,469
Jul 20212,747
Jun 20212,392
May 20212,903
Apr 20212,897
Mar 20213,308
Feb 20211,858
Jan 20212,143
Dec 20201,786
Nov 20201,971
Oct 20201,992
Sept 20201,817
Aug 20201,528
Jul 20201,407
Jun 20201,198
May 20201,034
Apr 20201,578
Mar 20202,594
Feb 20203,072
Jan 20202,904
Dec 20192,335
Nov 20192,892
Oct 20193,102
Sept 20193,133
Aug 20192,794
Jul 20193,474
Jun 20193,591
May 20192,949
Apr 20192,164
Mar 20192,524
Feb 20192,551
Jan 20192,687
Dec 20181,797
Nov 20182,280
Oct 20182,392
Sept 20182,337
Aug 20182,282
Jul 20182,230
Jun 20182,285
May 20182,480
Apr 20182,050
Mar 20182,131
Feb 20182,100
Jan 20182,681
Dec 20172,030
Nov 20172,556
Oct 20172,287
Sept 20171,933
Aug 20172,135
Jul 20172,042
Jun 20172,849
May 20172,538
Apr 20172,605
Mar 20173,110
Feb 20172,392
Jan 20172,915
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
51%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for electrical and electronic trades, which includes electrical and electronic trades n.e.c.. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London610
Birmingham204
Manchester155
Bristol, City of140
Leeds136
Cambridge110
Glasgow City110
Milton Keynes103
West Northamptonshire89
Reading83
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where electrical and electronic trades n.e.c. are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 106 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Philippines, Kenya, Zimbabwe, ranking it 96th 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 electrical and electronic trades n.e.c.
n/p
34%!
33%!
n/p
19%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3434% (small sample)
35–4433% (small sample)
45–54Not published
55–6419% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!40%
Higher education below degree!5.5%
A levels or equivalent!49%
GCSEs or equivalent!17%
Other qualifications!5.8%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent40% (small sample)
Higher education below degree5.5% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent49% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent17% (small sample)
Other qualifications5.8% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: electrical installation (12%), distribution of electricity (5.8%), production of electricity (5.5%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
40%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 49%
Apprenticeships
7
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
15 months to 4 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Routes in

Electronics engineer

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in electronic engineering.

Employers may also accept related subjects combined with electronics, for example:

  • electronic and electrical engineering
  • aerospace engineering
  • physics and applied physics
  • computer science
  • nanotechnology
  • maths
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could do electronic engineering or electronic systems engineering at college before applying for a trainee job.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship in electronic engineering, such as:

  • Electrical or Electronic Technical Support Engineer
  • Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Engineer

These take between 3 and 5 years to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a college or training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

Work your way up

You could start as an electronics engineering technician and do further training on the job to qualify as an engineer.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Electronics are a fundamental part of everyday day life and there are opportunities to work in many different areas. Examples include:

  • audio equipment
  • telecommunications
  • aerospace
  • vehicle manufacturing
  • medical equipment and assistive technology
  • robotics
Further information

You can find more details about careers and training from The Institution of Engineering and Technology and Electrical Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for electronics engineer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Broadcast engineer

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a higher national diploma or degree in broadcast engineering. Employers may also accept related subjects, such as:

  • electronic or electrical engineering
  • physics
  • telecoms engineering
  • computer science
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You may be able to find a trainee position in broadcast engineering after doing a college course. Courses include:

  • electrical or electronic engineering
  • creative media production and technology
  • electronic systems engineering
  • computing
  • T Level in Media, Broadcast and Production
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with a broadcaster or production company, such as:

  • Broadcast and Media Systems Technical Operator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Broadcast and Media Systems Engineer Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

These can take between 2 and 3 years to complete and combine on-the-job training and time spent with a learning provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
  • 2 or more A levels, or equivalent, including maths and science, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

If you already work for a broadcast or production company in a different role, for example a maintenance assistant, you might be able to start a broadcast engineering trainee scheme or apprenticeship, with the company you work for.

Volunteering

You'll find it useful to get practical experience using broadcasting equipment, as there is a lot of competition for places on training schemes.

You can get experience through:

  • student film, TV and theatre productions
  • community or student radio
  • live events and festivals
  • work placements with a broadcaster

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Some of the larger broadcasters run their own training schemes, for instance:

  • BBC Careers
  • Channel 4 Careers
  • ITV Careers
  • Sky Careers
Further information

You can get more information about a career in broadcast engineering from ScreenSkills and This is Engineering.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for broadcast engineer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Signalling technician

You can get into this job through and apprenticeship or by applying directly.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with a rail engineering company, such as:

  • Rail Engineering Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Rail Engineering Technician Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • High Speed Rail and Infrastructure Technician Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships are offered by rail and tram operating companies, Transport for London and Network Rail.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Apply directly

You may be able to apply directly to rail engineering companies, if you've got experience and qualifications in electrical or electronic engineering from another industry, or from time spent in the armed forces.

What you’ll need

  • take regular drug and alcohol checks
  • have a driving licence so you can drive rail company vehicles
  • live no more than an hour away from the location you wish to work

As a signalling technician, you'll work in a safety critical environment around live cables and on train tracks. This means you'll have a medical test as part of the selection process. This will include checks on your hearing and vision.

You might also need to:

Registration and professional bodies

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) for professional development training.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in the rail industry from Network Rail and Routes into Rail.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for signalling technician. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

7 for this job
Level 3About 22 months

Broadcast and media systems technical operator

Leads to
Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS)
Details on Skills England
Level 3About 2½ years

Power industry distribution cable jointer

You gain
Emergency first aid 1 day course
Leads to
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
Employers may ask for
Typically, applicants do not need specific pre-requisite qualifications. They will need to demonstrate the ability to pick up new knowledge and skills, and to…
Details on Skills England
Level 3About 2½ years

Power industry overhead linesperson

You gain
Emergency first aid 1 day course
Leads to
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
Employers may ask for
Typically, applicants do not need specific pre-requisite qualifications. They will need to demonstrate the ability to pick up new knowledge and skills, and to…
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/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Media, broadcast and productionT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • examines drawings, wiring diagrams and specifications to determine appropriate methods and sequence of operations
  • places prepared parts and sub-assemblies in position, checks their alignment and secures with hand tools to install x-ray and medical equipment, aircraft instruments and other electronic equipment
  • removes protective sheath from wires and cables and connects by brazing, soldering or crimping and applies conductor insulation and protective coverings
  • assists with the erection of wood poles or steel towers to carry overhead lines
  • connects and installs transformers, fuse gear, lightning arrestors, aircraft warning lights, cable boxes and other equipment
  • connects cables to test equipment and tests for balance, resistance, insulation and any defects
  • locates and repairs faults to lines and ancillary equipment

Skills

  • inspect overhead power lines
  • inspect underground power cables
  • install power lines
  • repair overhead power lines
  • repair underground power cables
  • wear appropriate protective gear
  • work ergonomically
  • advise on safety improvements
  • assess areas for power line installation
  • calculate needs for construction supplies
  • enforce safety procedures when working at heights
  • ensure compliance with electricity distribution schedule
  • ensure safety in electrical power operations
  • follow safety procedures when working at heights

Knowledge

  • electrical discharge
  • electrical power safety regulations
  • electric current
  • electricity
  • transmission towers
  • electricity consumption
  • power engineering

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades, a group of 23 jobs that includes electrical and electronic trades n.e.c..
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 6.5%about 72,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035338,000including 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.