jobfacts

Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers

SOC 2020 5225

Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers install, service and repair air-conditioning and refrigeration systems in factories, offices, shops and homes.

Also calledRefrigeration repair engineerAir conditioning engineerRefrigerating engineerRefrigeration engineerRefrigerator makerAir conditioning fitterand 6 more titles
Typical full-time pay£41,2002025 Provisional
People in the job12,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month954↑ 23%on last year · 198th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers earn, 2025
£41,200 typical£36,60025%n/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%£36,600
Median£41,200
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £41,200
South East!£45,400
Scotland!£45,400
North West!£40,100
East Midlands!£37,100
East of England!£37,000
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £41,200
South East£45,400 (small sample)
Scotland£45,400 (small sample)
North West£40,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£37,100 (small sample)
East of England£37,000 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £40,500
  • 2024 £41,100
  • 2025 Provisional£41,200
↑ 1.5% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 954 jobs for air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,477
Jul 20261,290
Jun 2026868
May 2026669
Apr 20261,327
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026797
Jan 20261,024
Dec 2025437
Nov 2025843
Oct 2025804
Sept 2025955
Aug 2025909
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 2025996
Apr 2025628
Mar 2025818
Feb 2025875
Jan 2025795
Dec 2024355
Nov 2024640
Oct 2024705
Sept 2024854
Aug 2024861
Jul 2024935
Jun 2024887
May 20241,078
Apr 2024889
Mar 2024751
Feb 2024846
Jan 20241,105
Dec 2023919
Nov 2023994
Oct 2023983
Sept 2023921
Aug 2023911
Jul 20231,103
Jun 20231,420
May 20231,220
Apr 20231,018
Mar 20231,149
Feb 20231,099
Jan 20231,383
Dec 20221,020
Nov 20221,158
Oct 20221,221
Sept 20221,172
Aug 20221,197
Jul 20221,139
Jun 20221,131
May 20221,038
Apr 2022822
Mar 20221,019
Feb 2022800
Jan 2022918
Dec 2021825
Nov 2021685
Oct 2021821
Sept 2021924
Aug 20211,068
Jul 20211,174
Jun 20211,132
May 20211,380
Apr 20211,147
Mar 20211,101
Feb 2021631
Jan 2021696
Dec 2020673
Nov 2020542
Oct 2020724
Sept 2020724
Aug 2020816
Jul 2020636
Jun 2020497
May 2020415
Apr 2020596
Mar 20201,006
Feb 20201,023
Jan 2020883
Dec 2019701
Nov 2019912
Oct 20191,037
Sept 20191,226
Aug 20191,139
Jul 20191,485
Jun 20191,322
May 20191,060
Apr 2019747
Mar 2019833
Feb 2019795
Jan 2019930
Dec 2018545
Nov 2018678
Oct 2018717
Sept 2018875
Aug 2018812
Jul 2018901
Jun 2018786
May 2018851
Apr 2018674
Mar 2018614
Feb 2018549
Jan 2018653
Dec 2017388
Nov 2017589
Oct 2017604
Sept 2017622
Aug 2017760
Jul 2017869
Jun 20171,059
May 2017849
Apr 2017947
Mar 20171,101
Feb 2017810
Jan 2017999
Is there a shortage of air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers?
Elevated

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 grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
57%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for metal machining, fitting and instrument making trades, which includes air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London404
Manchester98
Birmingham97
Glasgow City65
Leeds63
Bristol, City of61
Leicester48
Swindon44
Cambridge36
Nottingham33
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers 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 air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers
30%!
32%!
n/p
n/p
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2430% (small sample)
25–3432% (small sample)
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–64Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!8.7%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!48%
GCSEs or equivalent!41%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent8.7% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent48% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent41% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation (63%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
8.7%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 48%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
3 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 3About 3 years

Refrigeration air conditioning and heat pump engineering technician

You gain
Award in F Gas and ODS Regulations Category 1; Level 2 Diploma in Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Systems
Leads to
Engineering Council (EngTech)
Details on Skills England
Level 3About 3 years

Mobile transport refrigeration technician

You gain
City & Guilds Level 2 Award in F-Gas and ODS Regulations: Category I, or another…
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
Building service engineering foundation apprenticeshipFoundation apprenticeship2
Building services engineering for constructionT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • examines the proposed site to establish if installation plans are practical
  • plans layout of the system (pipework, ducts and control panels)
  • produces detailed estimate of costs of the work
  • plans work schedule and installs the system
  • inspects and tests the installation
  • carries our maintenance checks and repairs

Skills

  • apply proofing membranes
  • conduct routine machinery checks
  • consult technical resources
  • handle refrigerant transfer pumps
  • install air conditioning device
  • install electrical and electronic equipment
  • install heating boiler
  • install heating furnace
  • install heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration ducts
  • install ventilation equipment
  • maintain electrical equipment
  • maintain electronic equipment
  • operate hand drill
  • operate hot glue gun

Knowledge

  • electrical wiring plans
  • electricity
  • fluid mechanics
  • heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts
  • hydraulics
  • mechanics
  • refrigerants
  • thermodynamics

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 air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers.
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.