jobfacts

Other researchers, unspecified discipline

SOC 2020 2162

Other researchers, unspecified discipline perform research activities across a variety of disciplines for academic purposes or to provide the systematic investigation necessary for the development of new products and services, or to enhance the performance of existing ones.

Also calledUniversity researcherPostdoctoral researcherResearch associateResearcherResearch fellowUniversity research fellowand 2 more titles
Typical full-time pay£44,6002025 Provisional
People in the job78,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month206↓ 6.5%on last year · 342nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time other researchers, unspecified discipline earn, 2025
£44,600 typical£38,100lowest 20%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£38,100
25%£38,800
Median£44,600
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £44,600
London!£48,700
Scotland!£39,300
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–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £44,600
London£48,700 (small sample)
Scotland£39,300 (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
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £41,100
  • 2024 £43,800
  • 2025 Provisional£44,600
↑ 8.3% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 206 jobs for other researchers, unspecified discipline 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 (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026214
Jul 2026316
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026165
Apr 2026231
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026196
Jan 2026188
Dec 2025122
Nov 2025228
Oct 2025203
Sept 2025192
Aug 2025213
Jul 2025203
Jun 2025189
May 2025273
Apr 2025214
Mar 2025245
Feb 2025272
Jan 2025199
Dec 2024192
Nov 2024184
Oct 2024200
Sept 2024248
Aug 2024218
Jul 2024206
Jun 2024204
May 2024247
Apr 2024271
Mar 2024299
Feb 2024276
Jan 2024280
Dec 2023274
Nov 2023291
Oct 2023263
Sept 2023217
Aug 2023287
Jul 2023226
Jun 2023290
May 2023342
Apr 2023268
Mar 2023343
Feb 2023334
Jan 2023347
Dec 2022316
Nov 2022363
Oct 2022385
Sept 2022319
Aug 2022322
Jul 2022352
Jun 2022331
May 2022337
Apr 2022277
Mar 2022412
Feb 2022354
Jan 2022404
Dec 2021310
Nov 2021407
Oct 2021402
Sept 2021350
Aug 2021217
Jul 2021300
Jun 2021262
May 2021284
Apr 2021207
Mar 2021371
Feb 2021241
Jan 2021215
Dec 2020297
Nov 2020299
Oct 2020358
Sept 2020325
Aug 2020280
Jul 2020365
Jun 2020233
May 2020292
Apr 2020206
Mar 2020396
Feb 2020510
Jan 2020457
Dec 2019362
Nov 2019433
Oct 2019466
Sept 2019341
Aug 2019430
Jul 2019377
Jun 2019328
May 2019438
Apr 2019309
Mar 2019311
Feb 2019263
Jan 2019288
Dec 2018296
Nov 2018444
Oct 2018427
Sept 2018355
Aug 2018749
Jul 2018600
Jun 2018448
May 2018485
Apr 2018349
Mar 2018437
Feb 2018352
Jan 2018364
Dec 2017304
Nov 2017305
Oct 2017563
Sept 2017362
Aug 2017465
Jul 2017375
Jun 2017339
May 2017375
Apr 2017203
Mar 2017336
Feb 2017287
Jan 2017268
Is there a shortage of other researchers, unspecified discipline?
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 workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
28%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, which includes other researchers, unspecified discipline. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
Oxford153
London108
City of Edinburgh40
Cambridge35
Liverpool19
Exeter16
Manchester12
North Lanarkshire11
County Durham10
Nottingham10
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where other researchers, unspecified discipline are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 746 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from China, Italy, India, ranking it 21st of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of other researchers, unspecified discipline
9%!
48%!
23%!
14%!
4.8%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–249% (small sample)
25–3448% (small sample)
35–4423% (small sample)
45–5414% (small sample)
55–644.8% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent96%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent–
Not published
GCSEs or equivalent–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
Show as table
Degree or equivalent96%
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalentNot published
GCSEs or equivalentNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: tertiary education (58%), research and experimental development on social sciences and humanities (13%), other research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering (12%), post-secondary non-tertiary education (1.8%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
96%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • plans, directs and undertakes research into areas of academic interest or commercial importance to their organisation
  • designs tests and experiments to address research objective and find solutions
  • applies models and techniques to medical, industrial, agricultural, military and similar applications
  • analyses results and writes up results of tests and experiments undertaken
  • presents results of scientific research to sponsors, addresses conferences and publishes articles outlining the methodology and results of research undertaken
  • designs and develops an appropriate research methodology in order to address the research objective
  • compiles and analyses quantitative and qualitative data, prepares reports and presents results to summarise main findings and conclusions
  • advises government, private organisations and special interest groups on policy issues

Skills

  • apply scientific methods
  • perform laboratory tests
  • perform scientific research
  • develop scientific research protocols
  • develop scientific theories
  • write research proposals
  • write scientific papers
  • write work-related reports
  • maintain laboratory equipment
  • analyse blood samples
  • analyse cell cultures
  • analyse work-related written reports
  • archive scientific documentation
  • assess environmental impact

Knowledge

  • biology
  • laboratory techniques
  • microbiology-bacteriology
  • scientific research methodology
  • animal welfare legislation
  • biological chemistry
  • communicable diseases
  • food legislation

Suits people who like

  • Working with ideas and solving problems
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes other researchers, unspecified discipline.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 18%about 394,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 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.