jobfacts

Production, factory and assembly supervisors

SOC 2020 8160

Production, factory and assembly supervisors oversee operations and directly supervise and coordinate the technical and operational work of those carrying out production, manufacturing and assembly roles.

Also calledSuperintendentForemanTeam leaderSupervisorand 201 more titles
Typical full-time pay£36,8002025 Provisional
People in the job33,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month319↑ 3.3%on last year · 314th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time production, factory and assembly supervisors earn between £30,600 and £46,300 a year.

What full-time production, factory and assembly supervisors earn, 2025
£36,800 typical£26,200lowest 10%£30,60025%£49,200top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£30,600–£46,300)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£26,200
Lowest 20% earn less than£29,200
25%£30,600
Median£36,800
75%£46,300
Top 20% earn more than£49,200
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £36,800
Wales!£43,700
London!£43,200
East Midlands!£39,800
North West!£34,900
Yorkshire and The Humber!£34,600
South West!£31,200
West Midlands!£30,800
South East!£30,700
North EastNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £36,800
Wales£43,700 (small sample)
London£43,200 (small sample)
East Midlands£39,800 (small sample)
North West£34,900 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£34,600 (small sample)
South West£31,200 (small sample)
West Midlands£30,800 (small sample)
South East£30,700 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £34,300
  • 2024 £35,300
  • 2025 Provisional£36,800
↑ 7.3% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 319 jobs for production, factory and assembly supervisors 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 (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026360
Jul 2026331
Jun 2026277
May 2026314
Apr 2026310
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026316
Jan 2026345
Dec 2025168
Nov 2025364
Oct 2025370
Sept 2025349
Aug 2025338
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 2025396
Apr 2025360
Mar 2025321
Feb 2025329
Jan 2025297
Dec 2024189
Nov 2024262
Oct 2024304
Sept 2024329
Aug 2024319
Jul 2024381
Jun 2024333
May 2024394
Apr 2024416
Mar 2024339
Feb 2024281
Jan 2024389
Dec 2023288
Nov 2023317
Oct 2023278
Sept 2023304
Aug 2023311
Jul 2023311
Jun 2023426
May 2023394
Apr 2023351
Mar 2023384
Feb 2023347
Jan 2023454
Dec 2022376
Nov 2022481
Oct 2022489
Sept 2022458
Aug 2022519
Jul 2022575
Jun 2022446
May 2022498
Apr 2022433
Mar 2022530
Feb 2022505
Jan 2022456
Dec 2021341
Nov 2021369
Oct 2021405
Sept 2021385
Aug 2021374
Jul 2021438
Jun 2021457
May 2021439
Apr 2021372
Mar 2021502
Feb 2021348
Jan 2021346
Dec 2020264
Nov 2020273
Oct 2020354
Sept 2020328
Aug 2020292
Jul 2020306
Jun 2020211
May 2020182
Apr 2020220
Mar 2020357
Feb 2020437
Jan 2020412
Dec 2019306
Nov 2019358
Oct 2019486
Sept 2019397
Aug 2019393
Jul 2019434
Jun 2019433
May 2019402
Apr 2019300
Mar 2019356
Feb 2019329
Jan 2019377
Dec 2018228
Nov 2018324
Oct 2018365
Sept 2018354
Aug 2018391
Jul 2018361
Jun 2018441
May 2018393
Apr 2018310
Mar 2018320
Feb 2018322
Jan 2018391
Dec 2017252
Nov 2017345
Oct 2017347
Sept 2017377
Aug 2017398
Jul 2017414
Jun 2017547
May 2017505
Apr 2017445
Mar 2017480
Feb 2017409
Jan 2017512
Is there a shortage of production, factory and assembly supervisors?
Not high

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

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
32%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for process, plant and machine operatives, which includes production, factory and assembly supervisors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London120
Birmingham17
Sandwell16
North Yorkshire14
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole13
Manchester13
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon12
Bristol, City of11
Fife11
North Somerset10
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where production, factory and assembly supervisors 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 production, factory and assembly supervisors
9.9%!
17%!
31%!
24%!
18%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–249.9% (small sample)
25–3417% (small sample)
35–4431% (small sample)
45–5424% (small sample)
55–6418% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!16%
Higher education below degree!7%
A levels or equivalent35%
GCSEs or equivalent!16%
Other qualifications!14%
No qualifications!13%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent16% (small sample)
Higher education below degree7% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent35%
GCSEs or equivalent16% (small sample)
Other qualifications14% (small sample)
No qualifications13% (small sample)

Main employers: warehousing and storage (5.6%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (5.5%), manufacture of prepared pet foods (5.4%), manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery (1.6%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
16%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 35%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
18 months
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

  • directly supervises and coordinates the activities of production, manufacturing and assembly staff
  • establishes and monitors work schedules to meet the organisation’s requirements
  • liaises with managers and other senior staff to resolve operational problems
  • determines or recommends staffing and other needs to meet the organisation’s requirements
  • reports as required to managerial staff on work-related matters

Skills

  • liaise with managers
  • analyse production processes for improvement
  • manage staff
  • apply control process statistical methods
  • communicate production plan
  • follow production schedule
  • meet productivity targets
  • schedule regular machine maintenance
  • act reliably
  • adapt production levels
  • adjust production schedule
  • apply GMP
  • apply HACCP
  • apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages

Knowledge

  • quality assurance methodologies
  • food legislation
  • manufacturing processes
  • production processes

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • 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 production, factory and assembly supervisors.
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.