jobfacts

Glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers

SOC 2020 5441

Glass and ceramics workers, form, shape, decorate, smooth and polish glassware, earthenware, refractory goods, clay bricks and other ceramic goods.

Also calledMoulderCup makerFillerCutterGrinderForemanand 402 more titles
Typical full-time pay£28,9002025 Provisional
People in the job19,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month340↓ 9.9%on last year · 303rd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers earn, 2025
£28,900 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£28,900
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £28,900
Scotland!£33,100
East of England!£27,900
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–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £28,900
Scotland£33,100 (small sample)
East of England£27,900 (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
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £27,100
  • 2024 £30,600
  • 2025 Provisional£28,900
↑ 6.6% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 340 jobs for glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers 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 2026410
Jul 2026358
Jun 2026274
May 2026330
Apr 2026299
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026295
Jan 2026320
Dec 2025182
Nov 2025346
Oct 2025434
Sept 2025494
Aug 2025449
Jul 2025559
Jun 2025471
May 2025445
Apr 2025351
Mar 2025429
Feb 2025398
Jan 2025365
Dec 2024189
Nov 2024296
Oct 2024302
Sept 2024327
Aug 2024506
Jul 2024461
Jun 2024377
May 2024345
Apr 2024323
Mar 2024339
Feb 2024306
Jan 2024364
Dec 2023330
Nov 2023274
Oct 2023300
Sept 2023269
Aug 2023328
Jul 2023336
Jun 2023449
May 2023440
Apr 2023290
Mar 2023346
Feb 2023358
Jan 2023493
Dec 2022865
Nov 20221,090
Oct 2022946
Sept 2022995
Aug 20221,294
Jul 2022486
Jun 2022574
May 2022523
Apr 2022662
Mar 2022472
Feb 2022466
Jan 2022537
Dec 2021403
Nov 2021397
Oct 2021398
Sept 2021357
Aug 2021392
Jul 2021413
Jun 2021334
May 2021353
Apr 2021301
Mar 2021434
Feb 2021270
Jan 2021216
Dec 2020187
Nov 2020242
Oct 2020327
Sept 2020274
Aug 2020288
Jul 2020217
Jun 2020178
May 2020161
Apr 2020191
Mar 2020324
Feb 2020394
Jan 2020328
Dec 2019242
Nov 2019335
Oct 2019392
Sept 2019382
Aug 2019499
Jul 2019418
Jun 2019441
May 2019422
Apr 2019284
Mar 2019334
Feb 2019330
Jan 2019429
Dec 2018238
Nov 2018463
Oct 2018376
Sept 2018343
Aug 2018391
Jul 2018373
Jun 2018308
May 2018358
Apr 2018262
Mar 2018323
Feb 2018581
Jan 2018469
Dec 2017222
Nov 2017855
Oct 20171,238
Sept 2017940
Aug 20171,017
Jul 2017355
Jun 2017337
May 2017343
Apr 2017353
Mar 2017384
Feb 2017281
Jan 2017306
Is there a shortage of glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers?
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 advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
49%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for other skilled trades, which includes glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London191
Birmingham42
City of Edinburgh34
Manchester34
Glasgow City31
Bristol, City of29
Leeds27
Somerset18
Reading17
Cambridge15
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers 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
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers
n/p
n/p
3.3%!
32%!
24%!
13%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–443.3% (small sample)
45–5432% (small sample)
55–6424% (small sample)
65+13% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent52%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!25%
GCSEs or equivalent!13%
Other qualifications!7.7%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent52%
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent25% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent13% (small sample)
Other qualifications7.7% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: artistic creation (15%), manufacture of ceramic household and ornamental articles (12%), retail sale of furniture, lighting equipment and other household articles in specialised stores (9.6%), manufacture and processing of other glass, including technical glassware (6.6%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
52%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
2
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
18 months to 3 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Apprenticeships

2 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/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Craft and designT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • uses hand tools and operates machinery to heat, bend, shape, press, drill and cut glass
  • makes artificial eyes, laminated glass sheets or blocks, glass fibre tissue, wool, filament and matting, marks optical lenses and assembles rimless spectacles
  • makes models and moulds from moulding clay and plaster for use in the making and casting of pottery and other ceramic goods
  • throws, casts and presses clay by hand or machine to form pottery, stoneware or refractory goods such as bricks, crucibles, ornaments, sanitary furnishings, saggars, cups, saucers, plates and roofing tiles
  • cuts and joins unfired stoneware pipes to form junctions and gullies, moulds sealing bands on clay pipes, prepares and joins porcelain or earthenware components and assists crucible makers and stone workers with their tasks
  • applies decorative designs and finishes to glassware, optical glass and ceramic goods by grinding, smoothing, polishing, cutting, etching, dipping, painting or transferring patterns or labels

Skills

  • inspect quality of products
  • manage different pottery materials
  • form moulding mixture
  • keep records of work progress
  • use personal protection equipment
  • adjust clay burning level
  • apply glaze coating
  • clean moulds
  • ensure equipment availability
  • extract products from moulds
  • fill moulds
  • maintain mould parts
  • manage different ceramic firing techniques
  • monitor end-product drying process

Knowledge

  • quality standards
  • types of pottery material
  • ceramics glazes
  • materials in porcelain manufacturing
  • materials used in stoneware manufacturing
  • alumina ceramic

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 glass and ceramics makers, decorators and finishers.
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.