jobfacts

Elementary process plant occupations n.e.c.

SOC 2020 9139

Job holders in this unit group assist the work of machine operatives and perform a variety of manual tasks in foundries, engineering and allied trades and in other process and plant operations not elsewhere classified in minor group 913: Elementary process plant occupations.

Also calledRoustaboutOil rig workerOil and gas workerDrawerTrolleymanHelperand 623 more titles
Typical full-time pay£29,6002025 Provisional
People in the job70,000across the UK
New adverts a month1,200↓ 5.3%on last year · 164th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time elementary process plant occupations n.e.c. earn between £24,500 and £33,700 a year.

What full-time elementary process plant occupations n.e.c. earn, 2025
£29,600 typical£22,100lowest 10%£35,900top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£24,500–£33,700)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£22,100
Lowest 20% earn less than£23,700
25%£24,500
Median£29,600
75%£33,700
Top 20% earn more than£35,900
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £29,600
Yorkshire and The Humber!£31,000
North West!£30,700
South East!£30,300
East Midlands£30,000
North East!£29,200
East of England!£28,500
Wales!£28,500
West Midlands£27,900
Scotland!£27,500
LondonNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £29,600
Yorkshire and The Humber£31,000 (small sample)
North West£30,700 (small sample)
South East£30,300 (small sample)
East Midlands£30,000
North East£29,200 (small sample)
East of England£28,500 (small sample)
Wales£28,500 (small sample)
West Midlands£27,900
Scotland£27,500 (small sample)
LondonNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £25,800
  • 2024 £27,500
  • 2025 Provisional£29,600
↑ 15% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,200 jobs for elementary process plant occupations n.e.c. are advertised each month.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,115
Jul 20261,257
Jun 20261,104
May 20261,249
Apr 20261,146
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026971
Jan 20261,230
Dec 2025553
Nov 20251,207
Oct 20251,511
Sept 20251,312
Aug 20251,363
Jul 20251,425
Jun 20251,400
May 20251,420
Apr 20251,134
Mar 20251,257
Feb 20251,428
Jan 20251,060
Dec 2024613
Nov 20241,029
Oct 20241,193
Sept 20241,301
Aug 20241,302
Jul 20241,453
Jun 20241,372
May 20241,475
Apr 20241,309
Mar 20241,056
Feb 20241,038
Jan 20241,188
Dec 2023800
Nov 20231,051
Oct 20231,026
Sept 20231,168
Aug 20231,231
Jul 20231,297
Jun 20231,890
May 20231,732
Apr 20231,530
Mar 20231,723
Feb 20231,631
Jan 20231,966
Dec 20221,399
Nov 20221,932
Oct 20222,086
Sept 20222,066
Aug 20223,592
Jul 20223,663
Jun 20223,581
May 20222,540
Apr 20224,514
Mar 20224,528
Feb 20224,465
Jan 20223,613
Dec 20213,246
Nov 20214,486
Oct 20212,285
Sept 20212,259
Aug 20213,146
Jul 20214,021
Jun 20213,780
May 20214,500
Apr 20213,359
Mar 20213,179
Feb 20213,088
Jan 20212,341
Dec 20202,838
Nov 20201,577
Oct 20204,217
Sept 20201,685
Aug 20201,845
Jul 20201,344
Jun 20201,076
May 2020779
Apr 20201,050
Mar 20201,664
Feb 20202,079
Jan 20201,848
Dec 20191,256
Nov 20191,710
Oct 20192,327
Sept 20191,972
Aug 20191,969
Jul 20192,292
Jun 20192,065
May 20192,147
Apr 20191,503
Mar 20191,743
Feb 20191,643
Jan 20191,940
Dec 20181,080
Nov 20181,792
Oct 20182,126
Sept 20182,240
Aug 20182,528
Jul 20182,439
Jun 20182,458
May 20182,135
Apr 20182,007
Mar 20182,098
Feb 20181,867
Jan 20182,216
Dec 20171,446
Nov 20172,069
Oct 20172,443
Sept 20172,445
Aug 20172,929
Jul 20172,938
Jun 20173,178
May 20172,614
Apr 20172,356
Mar 20172,573
Feb 20172,233
Jan 20172,366
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
29%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for elementary process plant occupations, which includes elementary process plant occupations n.e.c.. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London549
Birmingham66
Wiltshire59
Bristol, City of56
Glasgow City51
Manchester49
Leeds44
Nottingham40
Somerset39
City of Edinburgh37
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where elementary process plant occupations n.e.c. 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 elementary process plant occupations n.e.c.
16%!
15%!
20%!
25%!
20%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2416% (small sample)
25–3415% (small sample)
35–4420% (small sample)
45–5425% (small sample)
55–6420% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!10%
Higher education below degree!4.5%
A levels or equivalent22%
GCSEs or equivalent20%
Other qualifications23%
No qualifications11%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent10% (small sample)
Higher education below degree4.5% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent22%
GCSEs or equivalent20%
Other qualifications23%
No qualifications11%

Main employers: manufacture of basic iron and steel and of ferro-alloys (3.4%), installation of industrial machinery and equipment (3.2%), joinery installation (3.1%), manufacture of other plastic products (3%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
10%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
Other qualifications
held by 23%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or by applying directly.

Apprenticeship

You could do an apprenticeship before applying to work on offshore rigs, such as an Engineering Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship or a Maintenance and Operations Engineering Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

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

Apply directly

You may be able to apply directly for jobs if you've got experience and qualifications related to oil, gas, engineering or construction.

What you’ll need

  • complete basic offshore safety induction and emergency training
  • be over 18 years of age
  • have an offshore medical certificate

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Oil and gas workers work shifts, for example 10 to 12 hours a day over a 2-week period, followed by 2 weeks' leave. They might follow this shift pattern for several months at a time.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in the energy industry from My Energy Future.

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

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • assists with the operation of furnaces and the preparation of castings
  • assists in setting up attachments on plant and machinery, and operates saws, shears or other equipment
  • conveys goods, materials, equipment, etc. to work area, assists in setting up machinery and equipment and prepares tools, lamps and other equipment for use
  • assists operative to mark out, bend, drill, galvanise, coat and otherwise machine metal
  • loads and unloads vehicles, trucks and trolleys
  • removes finished pieces from work area, paints or fixes identification labels or markers on products or containers
  • clears machine blockages, cleans machinery, equipment and tools, keeps work area tidy and clears waste and any spillages
  • performs a variety of manual tasks in relation to the operation of coke ovens, boilers, blast furnaces and other engineering trades

Skills

  • clean equipment
  • wear appropriate protective gear
  • use power tools
  • apply health and safety standards
  • calculate materials
  • clean building floors
  • clean surfaces
  • ensure integrity of hull
  • ensure vessel compliance with regulations
  • handle chemicals
  • maintain work area cleanliness
  • supply machine
  • supply machine with appropriate tools
  • align components

Knowledge

  • cleaning products
  • cleaning techniques
  • industrial tools
  • traditional wood caulking materials
  • types of wood
  • wood caulking processes
  • quality standards

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for elementary trades and related occupations, a group of 8 jobs that includes elementary process plant occupations n.e.c..
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 21%about 97,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 203556,000including 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.