jobfacts

Plasterer

Plasterers — SOC 2020 5321

Plasterers apply dry linings, plaster and cement mixtures to walls and ceilings, fix fibrous sheets and cast and fix ornamental plasterwork to the interior or exterior of buildings.

Also calledRendererFibrous fixerFixerPlasterer-tilerDry wall linerFibrous plastererand 6 more titles
Typical full-time pay£34,0002025 Provisional
People in the job39,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month391↓ 16%on last year · 282nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time plasterers earn, 2025
£34,000 typical£28,90025%n/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%£28,900
Median£34,000
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
More than half (82%) of plasterers work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed plasterers earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £34,000
South East!£39,000
North East!£33,900
Scotland!£32,100
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 WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £34,000
South East£39,000 (small sample)
North East£33,900 (small sample)
Scotland£32,100 (small sample)
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 WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 2 years
  • 2023 £33,000
  • 2025 Provisional£34,000
↑ 3% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 391 jobs for plasterers 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 (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026573
Jul 2026500
Jun 2026378
May 2026395
Apr 2026363
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026323
Jan 2026345
Dec 2025140
Nov 2025373
Oct 2025416
Sept 2025492
Aug 2025658
Jul 2025642
Jun 2025464
May 2025594
Apr 2025403
Mar 2025423
Feb 2025507
Jan 2025317
Dec 2024161
Nov 2024361
Oct 2024496
Sept 2024482
Aug 2024633
Jul 2024607
Jun 2024474
May 2024484
Apr 2024382
Mar 2024238
Feb 2024259
Jan 2024287
Dec 2023192
Nov 2023245
Oct 2023268
Sept 2023324
Aug 2023374
Jul 2023352
Jun 2023641
May 2023521
Apr 2023392
Mar 2023387
Feb 2023413
Jan 2023391
Dec 2022295
Nov 2022421
Oct 2022456
Sept 2022524
Aug 2022659
Jul 2022479
Jun 2022467
May 2022467
Apr 2022322
Mar 2022411
Feb 2022439
Jan 2022554
Dec 2021357
Nov 2021476
Oct 2021555
Sept 2021660
Aug 2021634
Jul 2021907
Jun 2021767
May 2021945
Apr 2021847
Mar 20211,227
Feb 2021627
Jan 2021720
Dec 2020500
Nov 2020495
Oct 2020732
Sept 2020734
Aug 2020752
Jul 2020467
Jun 2020229
May 2020119
Apr 2020179
Mar 2020382
Feb 2020521
Jan 2020376
Dec 2019289
Nov 2019496
Oct 2019422
Sept 2019608
Aug 2019577
Jul 2019523
Jun 2019451
May 2019549
Apr 2019324
Mar 2019292
Feb 2019323
Jan 2019346
Dec 2018186
Nov 2018346
Oct 2018342
Sept 2018433
Aug 2018524
Jul 2018482
Jun 2018421
May 2018356
Apr 2018329
Mar 2018294
Feb 2018296
Jan 2018363
Dec 2017201
Nov 2017415
Oct 2017340
Sept 2017400
Aug 2017599
Jul 2017586
Jun 2017583
May 2017652
Apr 2017452
Mar 2017507
Feb 2017413
Jan 2017286
Is there a shortage of plasterers?
Not high

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

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
45%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for skilled construction and building trades, which includes plasterers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London248
Birmingham40
Manchester28
Bristol, City of25
Leeds17
Glasgow City15
Liverpool15
Newcastle upon Tyne14
Sheffield13
Oxford13
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where plasterers 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 plasterers
9%!
19%!
26%!
29%!
18%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–249% (small sample)
25–3419% (small sample)
35–4426% (small sample)
45–5429% (small sample)
55–6418% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree!1.8%
A levels or equivalent38%
GCSEs or equivalent42%
Other qualifications!7.9%
No qualifications!10%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degree1.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent38%
GCSEs or equivalent42%
Other qualifications7.9% (small sample)
No qualifications10% (small sample)

Main employers: plastering (45%), construction of residential and non-residential buildings (34%), other building completion and finishing (4.3%), painting and glazing (3.5%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 42%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
18 months to 2 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds
Self-employed
82%
of people in the job

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You can do a college course that will teach you some of the skills needed for the job. Courses include:

  • plastering
  • construction skills - plastering
  • T Level in On Site Construction
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:

  • Onsite Trades Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
  • Plasterer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Craft Plasterer Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
  • 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
More about this route
Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

  • have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
  • are in care or have been in care
  • are in prison or have been in prison

Work your way up

You can begin working as a plasterer's labourer or 'mate'. You may not need formal qualifications but some employers look for on-site construction experience.

Your employer may then offer you the chance to take training on the job to qualify as a plasterer.

What you’ll need

  • have a good level of fitness
  • be able to cope with working at height

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site
Further information

You can find out more about becoming a plasterer from Go Construct and House Building Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for plasterer. 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/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Onsite trades foundation apprenticeshipFoundation apprenticeship2
Onsite constructionT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • selects appropriate plasterboard or dry lining panels, cuts them to required size and fixes them to ceilings and walls
  • mixes, or directs the mixing of, plaster to desired consistency
  • applies and smooths one or more coats of plaster and produces a finished surface, using hand tools or mechanical spray
  • pours liquid plaster into mould to cast ornamental plaster work
  • measures, cuts, installs and secures plaster board and/or ornamental plasterwork to walls and ceilings
  • covers and seals joints between boards and finishes surface
  • checks surface level using line, spirit level and straight edge

Skills

  • follow health and safety procedures in construction
  • inspect construction supplies
  • install construction profiles
  • install insulation material
  • maintain work area cleanliness
  • place drywall
  • protect surfaces during construction work
  • tape drywall
  • transport construction supplies
  • use measurement instruments
  • use safety equipment in construction
  • work ergonomically
  • answer requests for quotation
  • calculate needs for construction supplies

Knowledge

  • types of plastering materials
  • art history

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for skilled construction and building trades, a group of 12 jobs that includes plasterers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 1.5%about 14,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035374,000including 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.