jobfacts

Retail cashiers and check-out operators

SOC 2020 7112

Retail cashiers and check-out operators accept payments from customers and give change in respect of sales or services.

Also calledShop cashierCashierForecourt shop assistantPetrol assistantConsol operatorScanner assistantand 57 more titles
Typical full-time pay£24,6002025 Provisional
People in the job135,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month212↓ 6.2%on last year · 340th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time retail cashiers and check-out operators earn between £21,300 and £27,500 a year.

What full-time retail cashiers and check-out operators earn, 2025
£24,600 typical£17,900lowest 10%£21,30025%£27,50075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£21,300–£27,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£17,900
Lowest 20% earn less than£20,100
25%£21,300
Median£24,600
75%£27,500
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £24,600
London!£27,100
South West!£27,000
East of England!£26,600
North West!£24,700
West Midlands!£24,700
South East!£24,600
Yorkshire and The Humber!£23,300
Scotland!£22,400
North East!£22,100
East Midlands!£21,200
Wales!£18,000
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £24,600
London£27,100 (small sample)
South West£27,000 (small sample)
East of England£26,600 (small sample)
North West£24,700 (small sample)
West Midlands£24,700 (small sample)
South East£24,600 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£23,300 (small sample)
Scotland£22,400 (small sample)
North East£22,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£21,200 (small sample)
Wales£18,000 (small sample)
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £18,700
  • 2024 £22,600
  • 2025 Provisional£24,600
↑ 32% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 212 jobs for retail cashiers and check-out operators are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026244
Jul 2026Not published
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026206
Apr 2026207
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026209
Jan 2026190
Dec 2025105
Nov 2025195
Oct 2025312
Sept 2025239
Aug 2025266
Jul 2025257
Jun 2025236
May 2025262
Apr 2025217
Mar 2025237
Feb 2025218
Jan 2025184
Dec 2024115
Nov 2024184
Oct 2024292
Sept 2024294
Aug 2024325
Jul 2024296
Jun 2024313
May 2024372
Apr 2024293
Mar 2024191
Feb 2024171
Jan 2024185
Dec 2023121
Nov 2023169
Oct 2023202
Sept 2023281
Aug 2023358
Jul 2023296
Jun 2023517
May 2023447
Apr 2023459
Mar 2023457
Feb 2023325
Jan 2023410
Dec 2022308
Nov 2022428
Oct 2022551
Sept 2022699
Aug 2022528
Jul 2022519
Jun 2022581
May 2022649
Apr 2022499
Mar 2022482
Feb 2022363
Jan 2022656
Dec 2021563
Nov 2021502
Oct 2021627
Sept 2021557
Aug 2021566
Jul 2021535
Jun 2021437
May 2021336
Apr 2021357
Mar 2021376
Feb 2021248
Jan 2021195
Dec 2020280
Nov 2020479
Oct 20201,010
Sept 2020427
Aug 2020346
Jul 2020307
Jun 2020235
May 2020135
Apr 2020150
Mar 2020878
Feb 2020697
Jan 2020525
Dec 2019366
Nov 2019732
Oct 2019864
Sept 2019776
Aug 2019652
Jul 2019527
Jun 2019772
May 2019672
Apr 2019287
Mar 2019242
Feb 2019193
Jan 2019329
Dec 2018254
Nov 2018615
Oct 2018919
Sept 2018869
Aug 2018736
Jul 2018756
Jun 2018709
May 2018708
Apr 2018402
Mar 2018562
Feb 2018490
Jan 2018486
Dec 2017270
Nov 2017575
Oct 2017691
Sept 2017597
Aug 2017589
Jul 2017389
Jun 2017598
May 2017553
Apr 2017538
Mar 2017528
Feb 2017400
Jan 2017510
Is there a shortage of retail cashiers and check-out operators?
Critical

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

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedWell above usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: online job advert density, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
16%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for sales assistants and retail cashiers, which includes retail cashiers and check-out operators. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London74
Glasgow City11
Leeds10
North Yorkshire10
Somerset10
Birmingham9
Cheshire East8
North Northamptonshire8
Nottingham8
Manchester8
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where retail cashiers and check-out operators 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 retail cashiers and check-out operators
26%
14%!
13%!
17%
22%
8.8%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–2426%
25–3414% (small sample)
35–4413% (small sample)
45–5417%
55–6422%
65+8.8% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent12%
Higher education below degree!4.4%
A levels or equivalent25%
GCSEs or equivalent38%
Other qualifications7.3%
No qualifications12%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent12%
Higher education below degree4.4% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent25%
GCSEs or equivalent38%
Other qualifications7.3%
No qualifications12%

Main employers: retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (73%), retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised stores (7%), restaurants and mobile food service activities (3.4%), other retail sale in non-specialised stores (3.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
12%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 38%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • records cost of each item on cash register or by use of bar code reader and totals the amount to be paid
  • receives cash, cheque or debit or credit card payment, checks validity of form of payment, gives change and issues receipts for purchase
  • debits customer’s account in respect of purchases or services
  • monitors fuel taken by self-service customers or refuels vehicle if required
  • maintains transaction records as requested

Skills

  • apply numeracy skills
  • process payments
  • communicate with customers
  • issue sales invoices
  • process refunds
  • provide customer follow-up services
  • use different communication channels
  • assist clients with special needs
  • carry out active selling
  • carry out inventory control accuracy
  • carry out order intake
  • carry out products preparation
  • demonstrate products' features
  • ensure compliance with legal requirements

Knowledge

  • sales argumentation
  • cancellation policies of service providers
  • characteristics of products
  • characteristics of services
  • customer service
  • e-commerce systems
  • games rules

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for sales occupations, a group of 13 jobs that includes retail cashiers and check-out operators.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 12%about 255,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035671,000including 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.