jobfacts

Plastics process operatives

SOC 2020 8114

Plastics process operatives attend and operate moulding, extruding, thermoforming, calendering, covering, cutting and other process equipment to make and repair plastic products.

Also calledButton cutterMoulderSetterMixerMachinistTube moulderand 151 more titles
Typical full-time pay£32,6002025 Provisional
People in the job18,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month217↑ 31%on last year · 339th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time plastics process operatives earn, 2025
£32,600 typical£23,800lowest 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£23,800
25%£24,400
Median£32,600
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £32,600
East of England!£37,300
South East!£33,800
West Midlands!£24,300
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £32,600
East of England£37,300 (small sample)
South East£33,800 (small sample)
West Midlands£24,300 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £25,800
  • 2024 £25,900
  • 2025 Provisional£32,600
↑ 27% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 217 jobs for plastics process operatives 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 (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026223
Jul 2026177
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026193
Apr 2026207
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026229
Jan 2026265
Dec 2025139
Nov 2025281
Oct 2025244
Sept 2025212
Aug 2025230
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 2025188
Apr 2025151
Mar 2025188
Feb 2025187
Jan 2025168
Dec 202482
Nov 2024141
Oct 2024170
Sept 2024200
Aug 2024216
Jul 2024216
Jun 2024219
May 2024263
Apr 2024256
Mar 2024203
Feb 2024211
Jan 2024291
Dec 2023181
Nov 2023196
Oct 2023178
Sept 2023185
Aug 2023188
Jul 2023220
Jun 2023293
May 2023236
Apr 2023215
Mar 2023266
Feb 2023258
Jan 2023309
Dec 2022277
Nov 2022338
Oct 2022346
Sept 2022356
Aug 2022370
Jul 2022359
Jun 2022346
May 2022404
Apr 2022351
Mar 2022413
Feb 2022442
Jan 2022389
Dec 2021326
Nov 2021347
Oct 2021351
Sept 2021320
Aug 2021298
Jul 2021365
Jun 2021363
May 2021341
Apr 2021409
Mar 2021509
Feb 2021420
Jan 2021414
Dec 2020313
Nov 2020298
Oct 2020376
Sept 2020308
Aug 2020193
Jul 2020196
Jun 2020207
May 2020132
Apr 2020193
Mar 2020260
Feb 2020374
Jan 2020363
Dec 2019287
Nov 2019374
Oct 2019325
Sept 2019313
Aug 2019264
Jul 2019412
Jun 2019328
May 2019344
Apr 2019236
Mar 2019305
Feb 2019310
Jan 2019335
Dec 2018223
Nov 2018235
Oct 2018336
Sept 2018303
Aug 2018306
Jul 2018313
Jun 2018313
May 2018344
Apr 2018324
Mar 2018313
Feb 2018342
Jan 2018418
Dec 2017252
Nov 2017294
Oct 2017359
Sept 2017283
Aug 2017326
Jul 2017327
Jun 2017437
May 2017350
Apr 2017355
Mar 2017461
Feb 2017346
Jan 2017373
Is there a shortage of plastics process operatives?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
17%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for process operatives, which includes plastics process operatives. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
West Northamptonshire33
Stevenage25
Cherwell21
Birmingham20
London20
Leicester15
Maldon13
Manchester13
Telford and Wrekin13
Arun12
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.

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 plastics process operatives
n/p
27%!
n/p
23%!
18%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3427% (small sample)
35–44Not published
45–5423% (small sample)
55–6418% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!25%
GCSEs or equivalent!34%
Other qualifications!17%
No qualifications!17%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent25% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent34% (small sample)
Other qualifications17% (small sample)
No qualifications17% (small sample)

Main employers: manufacture of other plastic products (12%), manufacture of plastics and rubber machinery (9.4%), manufacture of plastic plates, sheets, tubes and profiles (8%), manufacture of builders’ ware of plastic (7.6%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 34%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
3 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 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/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • prepares machine for operation by affixing any necessary attachments
  • weighs and mixes ingredients, loads machine with plastic to be worked or regulates flow from feed conveyor or hopper
  • monitors controls regulating temperature, pressure, etc. and operates moulding, extruding, calendering, thermoforming and covering machines
  • inspects plastic products for defects, takes measurements and repairs plastic belting and sheathing
  • trims, cuts and performs other finishing operations on plastic using hand and machine tools
  • makes artificial eyes and contact lens discs, and makes and repairs spectacle frames and plastic parts of artificial limbs and other orthopaedic appliances

Skills

  • perform test run
  • set up the controller of a machine
  • inspect quality of products
  • troubleshoot
  • monitor automated machines
  • keep records of work progress
  • consult technical resources
  • maintain equipment
  • report defective manufacturing materials
  • monitor gauge
  • optimise production processes parameters
  • use personal protection equipment
  • extract products from moulds
  • feed hoppers

Knowledge

  • quality standards
  • plastic resins
  • manufacturing of daily use goods
  • types of plastic
  • manufacturing of sports equipment
  • mechanics
  • coating substances
  • composite materials

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for process, plant, machine and construction operatives, a group of 25 jobs that includes plastics process operatives.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 19%about 142,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035496,000including 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.