jobfacts

Stonemason

Stonemasons and related trades — SOC 2020 5312

Stonemasons erect and repair structures of stone and similar materials and cut, shape and polish granite, marble, slate and other stone for building, ornamental and other purposes.

Also calledCraft stonemasonStone carverStone grinderPolisherBanker handMonumental carverand 79 more titles
Typical full-time pay£33,9002025 Provisional
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month84↓ 7.9%on last year · 395th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time stonemasons earn, 2025
£33,900 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£33,900
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £33,900
Scotland!£34,100
South West!£33,900
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot 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–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £33,900
Scotland£34,100 (small sample)
South West£33,900 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot 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
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £33,300
  • 2024 £32,500
  • 2025 Provisional£33,900
↑ 1.9% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 84 jobs for stonemasons 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 (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 202689
Jul 202686
Jun 202694
May 202684
Apr 202674
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202673
Jan 202663
Dec 202531
Nov 2025106
Oct 2025110
Sept 2025109
Aug 202599
Jul 2025131
Jun 2025135
May 202592
Apr 202595
Mar 2025112
Feb 202599
Jan 202556
Dec 202435
Nov 202468
Oct 202477
Sept 2024111
Aug 2024100
Jul 2024113
Jun 2024304
May 2024122
Apr 2024712
Mar 2024828
Feb 2024743
Jan 2024667
Dec 2023806
Nov 2023571
Oct 2023629
Sept 2023688
Aug 2023683
Jul 2023498
Jun 2023348
May 2023316
Apr 2023244
Mar 2023240
Feb 2023128
Jan 2023492
Dec 2022468
Nov 2022110
Oct 2022123
Sept 2022103
Aug 2022124
Jul 2022150
Jun 2022138
May 2022135
Apr 2022108
Mar 2022119
Feb 2022107
Jan 2022114
Dec 202174
Nov 202187
Oct 202184
Sept 2021102
Aug 2021109
Jul 2021169
Jun 2021138
May 2021161
Apr 2021156
Mar 2021168
Feb 202187
Jan 202198
Dec 202083
Nov 202069
Oct 2020132
Sept 2020117
Aug 202092
Jul 2020104
Jun 202062
May 202058
Apr 202071
Mar 202088
Feb 2020115
Jan 2020118
Dec 201971
Nov 2019102
Oct 2019102
Sept 2019111
Aug 2019168
Jul 2019130
Jun 2019166
May 2019142
Apr 2019124
Mar 2019117
Feb 2019132
Jan 2019170
Dec 201898
Nov 2018152
Oct 2018207
Sept 2018176
Aug 2018130
Jul 2018236
Jun 2018260
May 2018299
Apr 2018225
Mar 2018125
Feb 2018126
Jan 2018135
Dec 201770
Nov 2017151
Oct 2017140
Sept 2017137
Aug 2017142
Jul 2017167
Jun 2017197
May 2017168
Apr 2017198
Mar 2017176
Feb 2017148
Jan 2017142
Is there a shortage of stonemasons?
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 advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
46%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for construction and building trades, which includes stonemasons. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London47
City of Edinburgh11
Glasgow City8
Bristol, City of6
Oxford6
Somerset6
North Yorkshire5
Elmbridge5
Buckinghamshire4
Dorset4
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where stonemasons 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 stonemasons
29%!
n/p
n/p
39%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
25–3429% (small sample)
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–6439% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!28%
GCSEs or equivalent!39%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications!12%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent28% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent39% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualifications12% (small sample)

Main employers: other specialised construction activities nec (57%), construction of residential and non-residential buildings (15%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 39%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
2 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed to get a trainee job with a building company.

Courses include:

  • construction skills
  • craft masonry
  • stonemasonry
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Stonemason Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship has pathways for different types of stonemasonry work, for example:

  • interior stone fixing, often used for floors, wet rooms and kitchens
  • memorial stonemasonry
  • exterior stone fixing on buildings and structures
  • heritage stonemasonry for conserving historic monuments

This apprenticeship takes about 24 months to complete and is a mix of workplace learning and off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Work your way up

You could start as a construction labourer or bricklayer and take further training with your employer to get a qualification in stonemasonry.

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site
Career tips

You may be able to find short training courses in heritage skills by contacting organisations like The Historic England Foundation.

Further information

You'll find more information about careers in stonemasonry from Go Construct and the Stone Federation.

You can also get details about stonemasonry carving skills from the Crafts Council.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for stonemason. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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

  • examines drawings, photographs and specifications to determine job requirements
  • marks and cuts stone using hammers, mallet and hand or pneumatic chisels
  • uses hand and power tools to shape, trim, carve, cut letters in and polish stone
  • levels, aligns and embeds stone in mortar, concrete or steel frame with stone to make and repair structures

Skills

  • create cutting plan
  • follow health and safety procedures in construction
  • inspect construction supplies
  • inspect stone surface
  • interpret 2D plans
  • interpret 3D plans
  • maintain work area cleanliness
  • mark stone workpieces
  • operate grinding hand tools
  • polish stone by hand
  • prepare stone for smoothing
  • regulate cutting speed
  • secure working area
  • transport construction supplies

Knowledge

  • building codes
  • types of stone for working

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for skilled construction and building trades, a group of 12 jobs that includes stonemasons.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 1.5%about 14,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035374,000including 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.