jobfacts

Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers

SOC 2020 9211

Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers collect, receive, sort and deliver mail, documents, correspondence or messages, either between or within establishments.

Also calledMessengerInspectorSorterPostwomanPostmanRoundsmanand 82 more titles
Typical full-time pay£31,7002025 Provisional
People in the job111,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month1,100↑ 5.9%on last year · 178th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time postal workers, mail sorters and messengers earn between £28,300 and £36,400 a year.

What full-time postal workers, mail sorters and messengers earn, 2025
£31,700 typical£24,700lowest 10%£28,30025%£36,40075%£41,800top 10%
Middle half (£28,300–£36,400)
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£24,700
Lowest 20% earn less than£27,700
25%£28,300
Median£31,700
75%£36,400
Top 20% earn more than£37,700
Top 10% earn more than£41,800
Typical pay by regionUK median £31,700
London£36,900
South East£32,400
East of England£31,400
East Midlands£31,300
Scotland£30,900
Yorkshire and The Humber£30,300
South West£30,200
Wales£30,000
North West£29,600
North East£29,300
West Midlands£28,500
Show as table
UK median, £31,700
London£36,900
South East£32,400
East of England£31,400
East Midlands£31,300
Scotland£30,900
Yorkshire and The Humber£30,300
South West£30,200
Wales£30,000
North West£29,600
North East£29,300
West Midlands£28,500
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £28,500
  • 2024 £33,600
  • 2025 Provisional£31,700
↑ 11% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,100 jobs for postal workers, mail sorters and messengers 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 2026910
Jul 2026910
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026957
Apr 20261,034
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026825
Jan 20261,055
Dec 2025538
Nov 20251,476
Oct 20251,459
Sept 20251,543
Aug 20251,236
Jul 20251,074
Jun 20251,075
May 20251,165
Apr 2025890
Mar 2025998
Feb 2025805
Jan 2025773
Dec 2024491
Nov 20241,041
Oct 20241,435
Sept 20241,198
Aug 20241,083
Jul 20241,045
Jun 20241,033
May 20241,078
Apr 20241,111
Mar 2024824
Feb 2024760
Jan 2024915
Dec 2023841
Nov 20231,166
Oct 20231,080
Sept 2023869
Aug 2023982
Jul 2023969
Jun 20231,345
May 20231,318
Apr 20231,032
Mar 20231,113
Feb 20231,120
Jan 20231,301
Dec 20221,418
Nov 20221,811
Oct 20221,789
Sept 20221,615
Aug 20221,396
Jul 20221,530
Jun 20221,325
May 20221,563
Apr 20221,268
Mar 20221,715
Feb 20221,467
Jan 20221,890
Dec 20211,529
Nov 20212,327
Oct 20212,432
Sept 20212,226
Aug 20211,598
Jul 20211,562
Jun 20211,243
May 20211,143
Apr 2021938
Mar 20211,098
Feb 2021628
Jan 2021731
Dec 2020899
Nov 20201,286
Oct 20201,455
Sept 20201,062
Aug 2020769
Jul 2020806
Jun 2020652
May 2020595
Apr 2020741
Mar 20201,004
Feb 2020998
Jan 20201,089
Dec 2019952
Nov 20191,441
Oct 20191,565
Sept 20191,442
Aug 20191,262
Jul 20191,447
Jun 20191,452
May 20191,440
Apr 20191,197
Mar 20191,297
Feb 20191,073
Jan 20191,453
Dec 20181,146
Nov 20181,750
Oct 20181,668
Sept 20181,737
Aug 20181,525
Jul 20181,254
Jun 20181,643
May 20181,620
Apr 20181,472
Mar 20181,636
Feb 20181,727
Jan 20181,829
Dec 20171,256
Nov 20171,884
Oct 20171,802
Sept 20171,761
Aug 20171,459
Jul 20171,360
Jun 20171,407
May 20171,427
Apr 20171,353
Mar 20171,568
Feb 20171,248
Jan 20171,466
Is there a shortage of postal workers, mail sorters and messengers?
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 growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
16%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for elementary administration and service occupations, which includes postal workers, mail sorters and messengers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London411
Bristol, City of53
Highland51
Somerset50
Birmingham49
Manchester49
Leeds48
North Yorkshire41
Glasgow City40
City of Edinburgh39
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where postal workers, mail sorters and messengers 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 postal workers, mail sorters and messengers
11%!
14%!
19%!
27%
24%
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2411% (small sample)
25–3414% (small sample)
35–4419% (small sample)
45–5427%
55–6424%
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent15%
Higher education below degree!3.9%
A levels or equivalent26%
GCSEs or equivalent37%
Other qualifications!5.5%
No qualifications9.3%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent15%
Higher education below degree3.9% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent26%
GCSEs or equivalent37%
Other qualifications5.5% (small sample)
No qualifications9.3%

Main employers: postal activities under universal service obligation (75%), other postal and courier activities (8.1%), retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (2.6%), general public administration activities (0.9%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
15%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 37%
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

  • collects and may x-ray mail from post boxes, receives parcels, and collects correspondence, documents and other material from individuals, offices or other establishments
  • sorts mail, parcels and other incoming and outgoing material for delivery, and maintains records of material received and despatched
  • delivers mail, parcels, correspondence and other materials to specified or agreed routes and schedules
  • completes delivery forms, collects charges, and issues receipts for the collection and delivery of registered or recorded mail and other items

Skills

  • act reliably
  • analyse ways to reduce travel time
  • apply information security policies
  • differentiate types of packages
  • ensure the integrity of mail
  • establish daily priorities
  • handle mail
  • maintain privacy of service users
  • operate mailing information systems
  • organise mail deliveries
  • follow given instructions
  • implement environmental protection measures
  • interpret traffic signals
  • keep records of customer interaction

Knowledge

  • data protection
  • geographic areas
  • road traffic laws

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for elementary administration and service occupations, a group of 26 jobs that includes postal workers, mail sorters and messengers.
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.