jobfacts

Importers and exporters

SOC 2020 3542

Importers and exporters buy commodities from overseas for the home market and sell home-produced commodities to overseas markets.

Also calledShipperShip's agentExporterExport controllerImport coordinatorExport-import supervisorand 11 more titles
Typical full-time pay£34,8002025 Provisional
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month133↓ 11%on last year · 375th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time importers and exporters earn, 2025
£34,800 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£34,800
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £34,800
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–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
Show as table
UK median, £34,800
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
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £32,400
  • 2024 £35,700
  • 2025 Provisional£34,800
↑ 7.3% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 133 jobs for importers and exporters are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026Not published
Jul 2026147
Jun 2026136
May 2026114
Apr 2026139
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026111
Jan 2026137
Dec 202582
Nov 2025152
Oct 2025151
Sept 2025157
Aug 2025184
Jul 2025171
Jun 2025144
May 2025178
Apr 2025127
Mar 2025153
Feb 2025178
Jan 2025121
Dec 202489
Nov 2024165
Oct 2024150
Sept 2024169
Aug 2024138
Jul 2024167
Jun 2024150
May 2024188
Apr 2024194
Mar 2024153
Feb 2024178
Jan 2024189
Dec 2023140
Nov 2023125
Oct 2023176
Sept 2023129
Aug 2023135
Jul 2023203
Jun 2023225
May 2023209
Apr 2023179
Mar 2023209
Feb 2023243
Jan 2023277
Dec 2022202
Nov 2022295
Oct 2022336
Sept 2022285
Aug 2022288
Jul 2022296
Jun 2022365
May 2022352
Apr 2022293
Mar 2022398
Feb 2022393
Jan 2022399
Dec 2021304
Nov 2021326
Oct 2021317
Sept 2021314
Aug 2021322
Jul 2021390
Jun 2021323
May 2021362
Apr 2021358
Mar 2021619
Feb 2021381
Jan 2021379
Dec 2020297
Nov 2020315
Oct 2020279
Sept 2020189
Aug 2020120
Jul 2020100
Jun 202073
May 202069
Apr 202092
Mar 2020152
Feb 2020198
Jan 2020211
Dec 2019161
Nov 2019184
Oct 2019210
Sept 2019194
Aug 2019213
Jul 2019228
Jun 2019256
May 2019242
Apr 2019182
Mar 2019264
Feb 2019237
Jan 2019287
Dec 2018158
Nov 2018174
Oct 2018198
Sept 2018188
Aug 2018179
Jul 2018165
Jun 2018222
May 2018191
Apr 2018186
Mar 2018200
Feb 2018201
Jan 2018230
Dec 2017144
Nov 2017183
Oct 2017157
Sept 2017182
Aug 2017221
Jul 2017183
Jun 2017272
May 2017216
Apr 2017254
Mar 2017274
Feb 2017239
Jan 2017234
Is there a shortage of importers and exporters?
Not high

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

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
10%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for business associate professionals, which includes importers and exporters. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London93
Manchester17
Slough17
Basildon15
Birmingham11
Leeds8
Bristol, City of8
Spelthorne8
Southampton7
East Suffolk7
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where importers and exporters 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 importers and exporters
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–64Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!61%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!43%
GCSEs or equivalent!24%
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent61% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent43% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent24% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published

How to get in

Hold a degree
61%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • investigates and evaluates home and overseas demand for commodities
  • obtains orders from buyers and arranges payment by bill of exchange, letter of credit or other means
  • arranges for shipment of commodities overseas and ensures that insurance and export licences are in order
  • carries out customs clearance procedures for imports, arranges their storage and delivery and sells them personally or through a commodity broker
  • advises home and overseas producers on the likely future demand for their goods

Skills

  • control trade commercial documentation
  • coordinate import transportation activities
  • use different communication channels
  • analyse work-related written reports
  • apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations
  • assess carriers
  • coordinate export transportation activities
  • foster relationships with various types of carrier
  • liaise between the client and various transportation services
  • manage carriers
  • manage import export licenses
  • prepare documentation for international shipping
  • set import export strategies
  • work in a logistics team

Knowledge

  • cost metrics
  • illegal substances
  • import export regulations of dangerous chemicals
  • international import export regulations
  • international taxation of transfer prices

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business and public service associate professionals, a group of 26 jobs that includes importers and exporters.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 1.2%about 26,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.1 millionincluding 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.