jobfacts

Production managers and directors in manufacturing

SOC 2020 1121

Production managers and directors in manufacturing plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the activities and resources necessary for production in manufacturing industries including the maintenance of engineering items, equipment and machinery.

Also calledManagerDirectorCompany directorProduction managerTextile managerProgress managerand 74 more titles
Typical full-time pay£58,6002025 Provisional
People in the job228,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month4,000↑ 8.6%on last year · 40th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time production managers and directors in manufacturing earn between £42,900 and £85,000 a year.

What full-time production managers and directors in manufacturing earn, 2025
£58,600 typical£31,400lowest 10%£85,00075%£122,400top 10%
Middle half (£42,900–£85,000)
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£31,400
Lowest 20% earn less than£39,000
25%£42,900
Median£58,600
75%£85,000
Top 20% earn more than£94,000
Top 10% earn more than£122,400
Typical pay by regionUK median £58,600
London£81,400
Scotland£59,300
East of England£58,200
East Midlands£57,700
South East£56,600
North West£55,100
West Midlands£53,600
South West£53,400
Yorkshire and The Humber£51,200
Wales£51,100
North EastNot published by ONS–
Show as table
UK median, £58,600
London£81,400
Scotland£59,300
East of England£58,200
East Midlands£57,700
South East£56,600
North West£55,100
West Midlands£53,600
South West£53,400
Yorkshire and The Humber£51,200
Wales£51,100
North EastNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £51,600
  • 2024 £55,000
  • 2025 Provisional£58,600
↑ 14% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 4,000 jobs for production managers and directors in manufacturing 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 (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20264,989
Jul 20264,196
Jun 20264,160
May 20264,040
Apr 20264,002
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20263,626
Jan 20264,129
Dec 20252,152
Nov 20254,108
Oct 20254,230
Sept 20253,890
Aug 20253,976
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20254,834
Apr 20253,719
Mar 20254,615
Feb 20254,181
Jan 20253,431
Dec 20242,117
Nov 20243,086
Oct 20243,457
Sept 20243,588
Aug 20243,911
Jul 20243,951
Jun 20243,755
May 20244,289
Apr 20244,305
Mar 20243,807
Feb 20243,754
Jan 20244,597
Dec 20233,405
Nov 20233,742
Oct 20233,376
Sept 20233,433
Aug 20234,135
Jul 20233,900
Jun 20235,506
May 20234,970
Apr 20234,299
Mar 20235,119
Feb 20235,384
Jan 20236,021
Dec 20225,189
Nov 20226,171
Oct 20226,344
Sept 20225,723
Aug 20226,145
Jul 20226,617
Jun 20226,034
May 20227,248
Apr 20225,535
Mar 20226,581
Feb 20226,342
Jan 20226,594
Dec 20215,343
Nov 20215,682
Oct 20215,691
Sept 20215,339
Aug 20215,320
Jul 20216,059
Jun 20215,207
May 20215,431
Apr 20215,268
Mar 20216,320
Feb 20213,940
Jan 20214,065
Dec 20203,499
Nov 20203,554
Oct 20204,335
Sept 20203,840
Aug 20203,155
Jul 20203,217
Jun 20202,751
May 20202,728
Apr 20203,390
Mar 20205,433
Feb 20206,114
Jan 20205,718
Dec 20194,018
Nov 20195,461
Oct 20195,432
Sept 20195,107
Aug 20195,029
Jul 20196,140
Jun 20195,965
May 20195,788
Apr 20194,524
Mar 20194,990
Feb 20194,769
Jan 20195,438
Dec 20183,543
Nov 20184,687
Oct 20185,103
Sept 20185,278
Aug 20184,782
Jul 20184,857
Jun 20184,715
May 20184,570
Apr 20184,355
Mar 20185,121
Feb 20184,420
Jan 20185,355
Dec 20173,568
Nov 20174,430
Oct 20174,590
Sept 20174,447
Aug 20174,653
Jul 20174,594
Jun 20175,603
May 20175,661
Apr 20175,206
Mar 20176,058
Feb 20175,295
Jan 20176,717
Is there a shortage of production managers and directors in manufacturing?
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 critical.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
34%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for production managers and directors, which includes production managers and directors in manufacturing. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London2,235
Manchester329
Birmingham271
Glasgow City197
Bristol, City of191
Leeds191
Liverpool131
City of Edinburgh114
Nottingham114
Somerset108
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where production managers and directors in manufacturing are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 305 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Germany, United States, Japan, ranking it 53rd of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of production managers and directors in manufacturing
1%!
9.3%!
23%
30%
28%
9%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–241% (small sample)
25–349.3% (small sample)
35–4423%
45–5430%
55–6428%
65+9%
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent41%
Higher education below degree10%
A levels or equivalent24%
GCSEs or equivalent13%
Other qualifications5.1%
No qualifications4.9%
Show as table
Degree or equivalent41%
Higher education below degree10%
A levels or equivalent24%
GCSEs or equivalent13%
Other qualifications5.1%
No qualifications4.9%

Main employers: engineering activities and related technical consultancy (5.2%), machining (2.5%), manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery (1.9%), manufacture of builders’ ware of plastic (1.9%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
41%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
3
from level 4, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
2 to 3½ years
typically

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 4About 2 years

Process leader

Leads to
Achievement of the standard is designed to be recognised by relevant Professional Engineering Institutions su…
Details on Skills England
Level 5About 3 years

Dairy technologist

Leads to
The Science Council
Employers may ask for
Typically, GCSE English and mathematics at grade 4 or above.
Details on Skills England

© 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
Higher National Certificate in Manufacturing Operations for EnglandHigher technical4

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • liaises with other managers to plan overall production activity and daily manufacturing activity, sets quality standards and estimates timescales and costs
  • manages production to ensure that orders are completed to an agreed date and conform to customer and other requirements
  • monitors production and production costs and undertakes or arranges for the preparation of reports and records
  • oversees supervision of the production line and its staff, ensures targets are met

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for corporate managers and directors, a group of 20 jobs that includes production managers and directors in manufacturing.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 3%about 78,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.4 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.