jobfacts

Project support officers

SOC 2020 3543

Project support officers assist in the organisation, planning, monitoring and direction of a project and ensure it is adequately resourced and on schedule.

Also calledProject analystProject assistantProject officerProject plannerProject controls assistantProjects coordinatorand 15 more titles
Typical full-time pay£35,8002025 Provisional
People in the job65,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month1,500↓ 0.4%on last year · 132nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time project support officers earn between £30,100 and £42,600 a year.

What full-time project support officers earn, 2025
£35,800 typical£25,000lowest 10%£30,10025%£44,800top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£30,100–£42,600)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£25,000
Lowest 20% earn less than£27,700
25%£30,100
Median£35,800
75%£42,600
Top 20% earn more than£44,800
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £35,800
London!£40,400
Scotland£38,400
East Midlands!£36,000
West Midlands£35,900
North West!£34,700
East of England!£34,600
South West!£32,900
South East£32,500
Yorkshire and The Humber!£31,100
North East!£24,800
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £35,800
London£40,400 (small sample)
Scotland£38,400
East Midlands£36,000 (small sample)
West Midlands£35,900
North West£34,700 (small sample)
East of England£34,600 (small sample)
South West£32,900 (small sample)
South East£32,500
Yorkshire and The Humber£31,100 (small sample)
North East£24,800 (small sample)
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £32,000
  • 2024 £33,900
  • 2025 Provisional£35,800
↑ 12% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,500 jobs for project support officers 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 20261,842
Jul 20261,513
Jun 20261,492
May 20261,552
Apr 20261,347
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,293
Jan 20261,601
Dec 2025777
Nov 20251,700
Oct 20251,621
Sept 20251,511
Aug 20251,615
Jul 20251,664
Jun 20251,591
May 20251,828
Apr 20251,287
Mar 20251,561
Feb 20251,581
Jan 20251,360
Dec 2024843
Nov 20241,327
Oct 20241,560
Sept 20241,660
Aug 20241,715
Jul 20241,832
Jun 20241,743
May 20241,978
Apr 20242,044
Mar 20241,726
Feb 20241,684
Jan 20242,053
Dec 20231,599
Nov 20231,606
Oct 20231,610
Sept 20231,780
Aug 20232,016
Jul 20232,278
Jun 20232,789
May 20232,754
Apr 20232,329
Mar 20232,886
Feb 20232,804
Jan 20233,016
Dec 20222,594
Nov 20223,540
Oct 20223,726
Sept 20223,359
Aug 20223,739
Jul 20223,905
Jun 20223,532
May 20223,882
Apr 20223,247
Mar 20224,074
Feb 20223,846
Jan 20224,067
Dec 20213,367
Nov 20213,773
Oct 20213,543
Sept 20213,364
Aug 20213,045
Jul 20213,276
Jun 20212,974
May 20213,108
Apr 20212,228
Mar 20214,868
Feb 20211,989
Jan 20211,920
Dec 20201,816
Nov 20201,955
Oct 20202,003
Sept 20201,712
Aug 20202,061
Jul 20201,450
Jun 20201,409
May 20201,108
Apr 20201,407
Mar 20203,256
Feb 20203,369
Jan 20202,918
Dec 20192,156
Nov 20192,659
Oct 20192,882
Sept 20192,700
Aug 20192,913
Jul 20193,261
Jun 20192,969
May 20193,139
Apr 20192,383
Mar 20192,694
Feb 20192,499
Jan 20192,830
Dec 20181,898
Nov 20182,573
Oct 20182,523
Sept 20182,507
Aug 20182,422
Jul 20182,500
Jun 20182,626
May 20182,572
Apr 20182,400
Mar 20182,717
Feb 20182,403
Jan 20182,583
Dec 20171,766
Nov 20172,453
Oct 20172,437
Sept 20172,404
Aug 20172,533
Jul 20172,474
Jun 20173,051
May 20173,120
Apr 20173,144
Mar 20173,387
Feb 20172,982
Jan 20173,309
Is there a shortage of project support officers?
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 advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • 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 project support officers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London803
Manchester112
Birmingham104
Leeds93
Bristol, City of91
Glasgow City90
City of Edinburgh59
Belfast56
Somerset51
Sheffield49
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where project support officers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 201 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, France, China, ranking it 74th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of project support officers
n/p
31%!
25%!
22%!
11%!
2.3%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3431% (small sample)
35–4425% (small sample)
45–5422% (small sample)
55–6411% (small sample)
65+2.3% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent59%
Higher education below degree!3.8%
A levels or equivalent21%
GCSEs or equivalent!11%
Other qualifications!4.7%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent59%
Higher education below degree3.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent21%
GCSEs or equivalent11% (small sample)
Other qualifications4.7% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: general public administration activities (12%), regulation of the activities of providing health care, education, cultural services and other social services, excluding social security (6.9%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (6.5%), business and other management consultancy activities (6.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
59%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 4
Apprenticeships take
18 months
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/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in MedTech for EnglandHigher technical5

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • analyses project components, organises them into a logical sequence and establishes the minimum time required for the project
  • creates and maintains a project timetable, helps ensure the project proceeds on schedule and manages relevant administrative elements of the project
  • advises on project procedures and assists the project team in decision making
  • liaises with and ensures effective communication between the project team, other departments, the project manager, the client and/or senior management
  • monitors the progress of the project and provides updates to project team, clients and other stakeholders

Skills

  • apply statistical analysis techniques
  • carry out statistical forecasts
  • compile statistical data for insurance purposes
  • produce statistical financial records
  • analyse market financial trends
  • apply scientific methods
  • calculate insurance rate
  • conduct quantitative research
  • execute analytical mathematical calculations
  • gather data
  • identify statistical patterns
  • obtain financial information
  • perform data analysis
  • process data

Knowledge

  • statistical analysis system software
  • statistics
  • actuarial science
  • financial markets
  • mathematics
  • algorithms
  • data quality assessment
  • insurance law

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business and public service associate professionals, a group of 26 jobs that includes project support officers.
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.