The world of work is constantly changing. New professions are emerging, while others are disappearing. And salaries vary greatly across different roles. The UK is no exception. Some jobs offer significantly higher pay, while others fall well below the average earnings.
So, which jobs pay the most — and the least — in the UK? And what are the average annual salaries for these roles?
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the median gross annual earnings for full-time employees were £37,430 (€40,514) in April 2024, compared with £35,004 (€37,850) in April 2023, an increase of 6.9%.
The ONS’s annual data on full-time gross earnings by occupation covers 381 roles. While we focus on the top 40 highest-paying and bottom 40 lowest-paying jobs, you can explore how other occupations rank in our full table below.
Leadership and director roles dominate the top salaries
Then 7 out of the top 10 jobs are director or executive-level positions. These include CEOs, IT directors, marketing directors, and financial managers. Leadership positions carry both strategic responsibility and high pay.
Chief executives and senior officials ranked first in the median gross annual earnings for full-time employees at £88,056, followed by marketing, sales and advertising directors (£87,309) and information technology directors (£86,033). These are the only three roles with earnings exceeding €100,000. All salary figures in EUR are available in the charts.
Pilots, doctors, and head teachers in the top 10
Apart from director positions, other three jobs in the top 10 are aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers (£80,414), specialist medical practitioners (£74,979), and head teachers and principals (£71,064).
ONS data shows that not only air but also rail transport jobs pay well, with two roles appearing between ranks 11 and 20.
Train drivers earn more than judges
For example, train and tram drivers (£63,958) earn more than barristers and judges (£59,423).
Some other jobs in the top-paying 20 are: Senior police officers (£63,986) electrical engineers (£58,734), IT project managers (£58,213), rail and rolling stock builders and repairers (£56,984), business, research and administrative professionals (£56,605), and actuaries, economists and statisticians (£55,138).
Earning £52,727, rail transport operatives ranked 32nd, making them the third rail job to appear in the top 40 highest-paying roles.
Other trends among the best-paying occupations
Tech and IT roles are also well represented among the highest-paying jobs. The digital economy continues to drive strong demand for IT professionals with a range of specialisations. They include: IT managers (£54,997), IT business analysts, architects & systems designers (£54,905), programmers & software development professionals (£54,669) and information technology professionals (£52,305).
High earnings for medical practitioners, engineers, paramedics, scientists, and statisticians indicate that specialist and technical fields are well rewarded. For example, paramedics earn £54,638, aerospace engineers £52,432, and electronics engineers £52,012.
There’s also a noticeable pay gap between top executive roles and the rest — even within the top 40. The highest median salary is £88,056, while the 40th-ranked job earns £50,853.
Lowest-paying jobs in the UK
The lowest-paying job is school midday and crossing patrol occupations, with annual earnings of £19,860, followed by coffee shop workers at £19,990. These are the only two roles earning below the £20,000 mark — with the lowest being just 53% of the overall median salary of £37,430.
ADVEReadNOWISEMENTHospitality and catering jobs offer the lowest wages
In addition to the lowest two roles above, hospitality and catering jobs are the lowest-paying category in the UK. These dominate the bottom of the entire chart: bar staff (£20,837), waiters and waitresses (£21,588), kitchen and catering assistants (£21,716), leisure and theme park attendants (£22,386), cooks (£22,282), and bar and catering supervisors (£23,421).
Childcare and early education jobs rank among the lowest-paying
While childcare and early education play a vital role in shaping future generations, many of these jobs fall within the bottom 40 in terms of pay. Childminders (£20,189), early education and childcare practitioners (£22,060), early education and childcare assistants (£22,781), and early education and childcare services proprietors (£24,388) all earn significantly below the overall median salary.
Retail, front-line, and customer support roles also appear frequently in the bottom 40 for pay. This includes retail cashiers and check-out operators (£22,600), sales and retail assistants (£23,878), receptionists (£23,595), and call and contact centre occupations (£24,829).
Cleaning, craft, and support roles in bottom 40
Many manual trades, cleaning, and craft occupations also fall within the bottom 40 for pay. These include florists (£22,426), cleaners and domestics (£22,961), launderers, dry cleaners and pressers (£22,674), tailors and dressmakers (£24,797), and sewing machinists (£24,149).
ADVEReadNOWISEMENTSeveral health and wellbeing support roles, despite requiring training or certification, remain low-paid . These include pharmacy and optical dispensing assistants (£22,452), dental nurses (£23,727), and fitness and wellbeing instructors (£24,371).
Check all the salaries here
The median gross annual earnings for full-time employees across all occupations in the ONS list are available in the table below. Find the roles you’re curious about.
Curious about which jobs are most in demand?
If you’re not just thinking about salaries but also about job security and future prospects, don’t miss our previous article: What are the best roles in the UK for 2025? It explores which jobs are currently in high demand, based on trends in job postings and market growth.