jobfacts

Butcher

Butchers — SOC 2020 5431

Butchers direct and undertake the slaughter of animals and prepare carcasses for storage, processing and sale.

Also calledAbattoir operativeButcher's shopmanSawyerForemanKnackerButcher-managerand 46 more titles
Typical full-time pay£28,9002025 Provisional
People in the job21,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month232↓ 6%on last year · 335th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time butchers earn between £26,000 and £32,200 a year.

What full-time butchers earn, 2025
£28,900 typical£23,200lowest 10%£26,00025%£32,20075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£26,000–£32,200)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£23,200
Lowest 20% earn less than£24,900
25%£26,000
Median£28,900
75%£32,200
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £28,900
London!£29,700
South East!£29,000
Scotland!£28,800
South West!£28,700
East of England!£28,700
West Midlands!£28,400
Wales!£27,900
East Midlands!£26,900
Yorkshire and The Humber!£25,100
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £28,900
London£29,700 (small sample)
South East£29,000 (small sample)
Scotland£28,800 (small sample)
South West£28,700 (small sample)
East of England£28,700 (small sample)
West Midlands£28,400 (small sample)
Wales£27,900 (small sample)
East Midlands£26,900 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£25,100 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £26,300
  • 2024 £28,200
  • 2025 Provisional£28,900
↑ 9.6% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 232 jobs for butchers 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 (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026267
Jul 2026204
Jun 2026244
May 2026228
Apr 2026231
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026252
Jan 2026274
Dec 2025103
Nov 2025216
Oct 2025264
Sept 2025265
Aug 2025241
Jul 2025259
Jun 2025262
May 2025299
Apr 2025251
Mar 2025266
Feb 2025248
Jan 2025235
Dec 202490
Nov 2024245
Oct 2024279
Sept 2024301
Aug 2024281
Jul 2024306
Jun 2024278
May 2024307
Apr 2024267
Mar 2024204
Feb 2024160
Jan 2024214
Dec 2023158
Nov 2023109
Oct 2023176
Sept 2023123
Aug 2023162
Jul 2023148
Jun 2023267
May 2023304
Apr 2023232
Mar 2023218
Feb 2023216
Jan 2023280
Dec 2022229
Nov 2022257
Oct 2022264
Sept 2022234
Aug 2022223
Jul 2022220
Jun 2022255
May 2022224
Apr 2022195
Mar 2022239
Feb 2022260
Jan 2022242
Dec 2021192
Nov 2021245
Oct 2021350
Sept 2021337
Aug 2021295
Jul 2021358
Jun 2021343
May 2021297
Apr 2021273
Mar 2021336
Feb 2021200
Jan 2021168
Dec 2020132
Nov 2020157
Oct 2020233
Sept 2020235
Aug 2020268
Jul 2020192
Jun 2020215
May 2020224
Apr 2020178
Mar 2020193
Feb 2020223
Jan 2020196
Dec 2019155
Nov 2019165
Oct 2019193
Sept 2019184
Aug 2019176
Jul 2019211
Jun 2019230
May 2019248
Apr 2019173
Mar 2019161
Feb 2019149
Jan 2019199
Dec 2018106
Nov 2018205
Oct 2018228
Sept 2018317
Aug 2018271
Jul 2018230
Jun 2018258
May 2018201
Apr 2018201
Mar 2018182
Feb 2018176
Jan 2018184
Dec 2017117
Nov 2017183
Oct 2017225
Sept 2017237
Aug 2017260
Jul 2017215
Jun 2017261
May 2017268
Apr 2017249
Mar 2017273
Feb 2017191
Jan 2017198
Is there a shortage of butchers?
Elevated

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

  • Visas grantedWell above usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hours worked, change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
47%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for food preparation and hospitality trades, which includes butchers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London60
Mid and East Antrim14
North Yorkshire12
Aberdeenshire11
Cornwall11
Mid Sussex9
South Holland9
South Gloucestershire9
Dorset8
Mid Suffolk8
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where butchers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 166 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Philippines, Pakistan, India, ranking it 85th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of butchers
14%!
28%!
11%!
28%!
19%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–2414% (small sample)
25–3428% (small sample)
35–4411% (small sample)
45–5428% (small sample)
55–6419% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!9.4%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!33%
GCSEs or equivalent!37%
Other qualifications!9.4%
No qualifications!6.6%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent9.4% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent33% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent37% (small sample)
Other qualifications9.4% (small sample)
No qualifications6.6% (small sample)

Main employers: retail sale of meat and meat products in specialised stores (49%), processing and preserving of meat (14%), wholesale of meat and meat products (13%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
9.4%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 37%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
16 months to 18 months
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.

Relevant subjects include:

  • professional butchery
  • proficiency in meat and poultry industry skills
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job by doing a Butcher Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, then move on to the Butcher Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

Each apprenticeship can take up to 2 years to complete and combines workplace training with off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Work your way up

You can start as a trainee in a butcher's shop and learn on the job. Knowledge of the meat trade, meat processing or experience in food retailing may help you to find a trainee position.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Any experience you have of working in retail, customer service, food preparation or catering will be useful for this career.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Institute of Meat or the National Craft Butchers for professional development and training.

Further information

You can get more advice about becoming a butcher from Tasty Careers.

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

Apprenticeships

3 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

  • slaughters animal and removes skin, hide, hairs, internal organs, etc.
  • cuts or saws carcasses into manageable portions
  • removes bones, gristle, surplus fat, rind and other waste material
  • cuts carcass parts into chops, joints, steaks, etc. for sale
  • prepares meat for curing or other processing cleans tools and work surfaces

Skills

  • apply GMP
  • apply HACCP
  • ensure sanitation
  • follow hygienic procedures during food processing
  • lift heavy weights
  • mark differences in colours
  • dispose food waste
  • liaise with colleagues
  • liaise with managers
  • apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
  • execute chilling processes to food products
  • maintain cutting equipment
  • tolerate strong smells
  • act reliably

Knowledge

  • legislation about animal origin products
  • food storage
  • animal anatomy for food production
  • cultural practices regarding animal parts sorting

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for textiles, printing and other skilled trades, a group of 17 jobs that includes butchers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035→ 0%about 0 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035276,000including 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.