jobfacts

Energy plant operatives

SOC 2020 8133

Energy plant operatives operate boilers to produce hot water or steam and attend and operate compressors, turbines, electrical substations, switchboards and auxiliary plant and machinery to fuel nuclear reactors, drive blowers and pumps, electricity generators and other equipment.

Also calledSuperintendentBoiler operatorEngine operatorCleanerBoiler attendantMachinery attendantand 141 more titles
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month577↓ 2.9%on last year · 250th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
Typical pay by regionUK median —
North West!£63,700
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot 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, —
North West£63,700 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot 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

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 577 jobs for energy plant 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 (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026529
Jul 2026657
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026562
Apr 2026582
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026465
Jan 2026592
Dec 2025296
Nov 2025675
Oct 2025679
Sept 2025732
Aug 2025685
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 2025724
Apr 2025559
Mar 2025603
Feb 2025621
Jan 2025516
Dec 2024296
Nov 2024584
Oct 2024633
Sept 2024646
Aug 2024579
Jul 2024645
Jun 2024615
May 2024612
Apr 2024583
Mar 2024492
Feb 2024432
Jan 2024640
Dec 2023376
Nov 2023477
Oct 2023486
Sept 2023573
Aug 2023530
Jul 2023629
Jun 2023711
May 2023717
Apr 2023632
Mar 2023700
Feb 2023643
Jan 2023678
Dec 2022618
Nov 2022783
Oct 2022857
Sept 2022803
Aug 2022878
Jul 2022861
Jun 2022777
May 2022966
Apr 2022688
Mar 2022869
Feb 2022699
Jan 2022759
Dec 2021641
Nov 2021863
Oct 2021870
Sept 2021830
Aug 2021836
Jul 20211,048
Jun 2021891
May 2021860
Apr 2021779
Mar 2021864
Feb 2021505
Jan 2021595
Dec 2020545
Nov 2020677
Oct 20201,013
Sept 2020884
Aug 2020810
Jul 2020642
Jun 2020441
May 2020295
Apr 2020431
Mar 2020746
Feb 2020801
Jan 2020796
Dec 2019645
Nov 2019918
Oct 2019918
Sept 2019855
Aug 2019816
Jul 2019856
Jun 2019846
May 2019902
Apr 2019647
Mar 2019681
Feb 2019611
Jan 2019782
Dec 2018446
Nov 2018690
Oct 2018804
Sept 2018833
Aug 2018784
Jul 2018803
Jun 2018777
May 2018805
Apr 2018728
Mar 2018844
Feb 2018712
Jan 2018761
Dec 2017555
Nov 2017788
Oct 2017794
Sept 2017828
Aug 2017855
Jul 2017754
Jun 2017971
May 2017888
Apr 2017851
Mar 2017998
Feb 2017813
Jan 2017925
Is there a shortage of energy plant 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 advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
43%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for plant and machine operatives, which includes energy plant operatives. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London197
Birmingham36
Manchester34
Bristol, City of33
Glasgow City31
South Gloucestershire28
West Northamptonshire27
Stoke-on-Trent25
North Lanarkshire24
Buckinghamshire23
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where energy plant 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
Age of energy plant operatives
n/p
49%!
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3449% (small sample)
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–64Not published
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree!23%
A levels or equivalent!42%
GCSEs or equivalent!24%
Other qualifications!44%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degree23% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent42% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent24% (small sample)
Other qualifications44% (small sample)

Main employers: production of electricity (49%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
Other qualifications
held by 44%
Apprenticeships
2
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
2 to 3 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Apprenticeships

2 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/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Maintenance, installation and repair for engineering and manufacturingT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • determines job requirements from switchboard attendant or operating instructions
  • opens valves and operates controls to regulate the flow of fuel to boiler or generating equipment
  • operates remote control panel to load fuel and remove discharged fuel elements from nuclear reactors
  • adjusts controls to maintain correct running speed of turbine or generator and monitors temperature and pressure controls on boilers
  • records instrument readings periodically and shuts down turbine/generator or boiler as demand decreases
  • carries out minor maintenance tasks and prescribed tests and reports any faults

Skills

  • monitor valves
  • operate boiler
  • adjust cylinder valves
  • conduct routine machinery checks
  • control steam flows
  • monitor automated machines
  • monitor gauge
  • monitor utility equipment
  • operate water-heating equipment
  • perform maintenance on installed equipment
  • perform risk analysis
  • read heat meter
  • read water meter
  • regulate steam pressure

Knowledge

  • heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts
  • hydraulics
  • mechanics
  • thermodynamics
  • types of steam engines
  • water pressure
  • automation technology
  • communication

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 energy plant operatives.
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.