jobfacts

Sheet metal workers

SOC 2020 5211

Sheet metal workers mark out, cut, shape and join sheet metal using hand or machine tools to make and repair sheet metal products and components (excluding vehicle bodywork).

Also calledMetal fabricatorBeaterWing makerRadiator manTin manCoppersmithand 60 more titles
Typical full-time pay£32,2002025 Provisional
People in the job10,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month266↑ 7%on last year · 322nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time sheet metal workers earn, 2025
£32,200 typical£26,600lowest 20%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£26,600
25%£27,100
Median£32,200
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £32,200
East Midlands!£33,000
West Midlands!£32,000
East of England!£31,300
North East!£28,700
South West!£26,900
North West!£26,900
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £32,200
East Midlands£33,000 (small sample)
West Midlands£32,000 (small sample)
East of England£31,300 (small sample)
North East£28,700 (small sample)
South West£26,900 (small sample)
North West£26,900 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £26,500
  • 2024 £31,700
  • 2025 Provisional£32,200
↑ 21% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 266 jobs for sheet metal workers 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 2026272
Jul 2026317
Jun 2026283
May 2026287
Apr 2026269
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026238
Jan 2026284
Dec 2025117
Nov 2025290
Oct 2025310
Sept 2025262
Aug 2025262
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 2025297
Apr 2025242
Mar 2025289
Feb 2025272
Jan 2025259
Dec 2024116
Nov 2024217
Oct 2024251
Sept 2024260
Aug 2024227
Jul 2024288
Jun 2024257
May 2024289
Apr 2024312
Mar 2024226
Feb 2024244
Jan 2024245
Dec 2023172
Nov 2023212
Oct 2023174
Sept 2023176
Aug 2023196
Jul 2023231
Jun 2023330
May 2023299
Apr 2023278
Mar 2023308
Feb 2023320
Jan 2023349
Dec 2022235
Nov 2022327
Oct 2022374
Sept 2022369
Aug 2022340
Jul 2022343
Jun 2022316
May 2022329
Apr 2022314
Mar 2022360
Feb 2022263
Jan 2022314
Dec 2021267
Nov 2021288
Oct 2021297
Sept 2021250
Aug 2021246
Jul 2021338
Jun 2021307
May 2021324
Apr 2021283
Mar 2021403
Feb 2021251
Jan 2021262
Dec 2020175
Nov 2020181
Oct 2020262
Sept 2020191
Aug 2020218
Jul 2020173
Jun 2020121
May 2020114
Apr 2020174
Mar 2020238
Feb 2020318
Jan 2020329
Dec 2019219
Nov 2019307
Oct 2019369
Sept 2019314
Aug 2019346
Jul 2019437
Jun 2019369
May 2019342
Apr 2019280
Mar 2019305
Feb 2019276
Jan 2019365
Dec 2018199
Nov 2018280
Oct 2018345
Sept 2018328
Aug 2018310
Jul 2018297
Jun 2018366
May 2018300
Apr 2018268
Mar 2018238
Feb 2018296
Jan 2018327
Dec 2017205
Nov 2017293
Oct 2017302
Sept 2017293
Aug 2017343
Jul 2017360
Jun 2017427
May 2017366
Apr 2017363
Mar 2017430
Feb 2017329
Jan 2017366
Is there a shortage of sheet metal workers?
Not high

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

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
46%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for metal forming, welding and related trades, which includes sheet metal workers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London65
Glasgow City24
Dartford16
Manchester15
Leeds14
Renfrewshire13
Sheffield11
Bradford11
Charnwood10
Inverclyde10
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where sheet metal workers 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 sheet metal workers
n/p
21%!
n/p
n/p
33%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3421% (small sample)
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–6433% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!60%
GCSEs or equivalent!54%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent60% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent54% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: installation of industrial machinery and equipment (33%), machining (14%), manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery (12%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 60%
Apprenticeships
2
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
3½ years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Apprenticeships

2 for this job
Level 3About 3½ years

Metal fabricator

You gain
Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Knowledge) OR Extended…
Leads to
IMechE
Details on Skills England
Level 3About 3½ years

Surface finisher

Leads to
Institute for Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST)
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
Engineering, manufacturing, processing and control​T Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • examines drawings and specifications to assess job requirements
  • uses template, measuring instruments and tools to mark out layout lines and reference points
  • uses hand or machine tools to bend, roll, fold, press or beat cut sheet metal
  • assembles prepared parts and joins them by bolting, welding or soldering
  • finishes product by grinding, filing, cleaning and polishing
  • repairs damaged metal parts such as copper sheets and tubes by beating, riveting, soldering, welding and fitting replacement parts
  • checks final product to ensure conformity with specifications

Skills

  • wear appropriate protective gear
  • monitor automated machines
  • apply arc welding techniques
  • apply precision metalworking techniques
  • cast metal
  • consult technical resources
  • cut metal products
  • ensure correct metal temperature
  • ensure equipment availability
  • operate oxy-fuel cutting torch
  • operate precision measuring equipment
  • operate soldering equipment
  • perform machine maintenance
  • perform test run

Knowledge

  • types of metal
  • manufacturing of heating equipment
  • metal joining technologies
  • metal smoothing technologies
  • rivet types
  • types of metal manufacturing processes
  • cutting technologies
  • metal forming technologies

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 sheet metal workers.
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.