jobfacts

Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors

SOC 2020 5250

Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors oversee operations and directly supervise and coordinate the activities of workers in skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades.

Also calledEngineering foremanShop foremanForemanMaintenance coordinatorTeeming observerWorkshop controllerand 128 more titles
Typical full-time pay£45,2002025 Provisional
People in the job43,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month1,900↓ 9.2%on last year · 95th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors earn between £37,900 and £53,800 a year.

What full-time skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors earn, 2025
£45,200 typical£32,300lowest 10%£37,90025%£57,200top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£37,900–£53,800)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£32,300
Lowest 20% earn less than£36,400
25%£37,900
Median£45,200
75%£53,800
Top 20% earn more than£57,200
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £45,200
Scotland£54,500
London!£51,800
West Midlands!£47,100
East of England£45,200
North East!£45,000
North West!£44,900
Wales!£44,300
Yorkshire and The Humber£44,000
South East£43,300
East Midlands!£42,600
South West£40,400
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £45,200
Scotland£54,500
London£51,800 (small sample)
West Midlands£47,100 (small sample)
East of England£45,200
North East£45,000 (small sample)
North West£44,900 (small sample)
Wales£44,300 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£44,000
South East£43,300
East Midlands£42,600 (small sample)
South West£40,400
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £40,000
  • 2024 £42,400
  • 2025 Provisional£45,200
↑ 13% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,900 jobs for skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20262,157
Jul 20262,010
Jun 20261,894
May 20261,839
Apr 20262,125
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,893
Jan 20262,111
Dec 20251,110
Nov 20251,932
Oct 20252,116
Sept 20252,043
Aug 20251,953
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20252,211
Apr 20251,856
Mar 20252,441
Feb 20252,519
Jan 20252,294
Dec 20241,404
Nov 20241,980
Oct 20242,376
Sept 20242,498
Aug 20242,463
Jul 20242,715
Jun 20242,368
May 20242,737
Apr 20242,484
Mar 20242,095
Feb 20242,030
Jan 20242,451
Dec 20231,703
Nov 20232,060
Oct 20231,923
Sept 20231,966
Aug 20232,257
Jul 20232,228
Jun 20232,825
May 20232,549
Apr 20232,136
Mar 20232,678
Feb 20232,538
Jan 20232,998
Dec 20222,240
Nov 20222,686
Oct 20222,583
Sept 20222,503
Aug 20222,566
Jul 20222,709
Jun 20222,414
May 20222,871
Apr 20222,235
Mar 20222,735
Feb 20222,326
Jan 20222,644
Dec 20212,064
Nov 20212,189
Oct 20212,387
Sept 20212,140
Aug 20212,036
Jul 20212,382
Jun 20212,063
May 20212,309
Apr 20212,262
Mar 20212,566
Feb 20211,558
Jan 20211,639
Dec 20201,538
Nov 20201,448
Oct 20201,798
Sept 20201,445
Aug 20201,206
Jul 20201,191
Jun 20201,096
May 2020869
Apr 20201,204
Mar 20201,960
Feb 20202,450
Jan 20202,322
Dec 20191,635
Nov 20192,041
Oct 20192,130
Sept 20191,995
Aug 20192,012
Jul 20192,610
Jun 20192,354
May 20192,387
Apr 20191,665
Mar 20192,100
Feb 20191,888
Jan 20192,251
Dec 20181,274
Nov 20181,782
Oct 20182,024
Sept 20181,993
Aug 20181,868
Jul 20181,891
Jun 20181,949
May 20181,934
Apr 20181,790
Mar 20182,004
Feb 20181,954
Jan 20182,085
Dec 20171,497
Nov 20171,981
Oct 20171,834
Sept 20171,848
Aug 20171,860
Jul 20171,799
Jun 20172,228
May 20172,165
Apr 20172,177
Mar 20172,437
Feb 20172,044
Jan 20172,304
Is there a shortage of skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors?
Critical

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 grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
47%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades, which includes skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London834
Bristol, City of95
Birmingham93
Manchester92
Glasgow City87
Somerset80
Leeds75
City of Edinburgh58
Buckinghamshire57
West Northamptonshire52
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors 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
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors
n/p
20%!
30%!
19%!
23%!
2.3%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3420% (small sample)
35–4430% (small sample)
45–5419% (small sample)
55–6423% (small sample)
65+2.3% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!13%
Higher education below degree!10%
A levels or equivalent45%
GCSEs or equivalent!21%
Other qualifications!5.6%
No qualifications!4.6%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent13% (small sample)
Higher education below degree10% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent45%
GCSEs or equivalent21% (small sample)
Other qualifications5.6% (small sample)
No qualifications4.6% (small sample)

Main employers: maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (7.1%), machining (5.2%), electrical installation (4.5%), manufacture of motor vehicles (4.4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
13%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 45%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • directly supervises and coordinates the activities of skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades workers
  • establishes and monitors work schedules to meet productivity requirements
  • liaises with managers and other departments and contractors to resolve operational problems
  • determines or recommends staffing and other needs to meet productivity requirements
  • reports as required to managerial staff on departmental activities

Skills

  • liaise with managers
  • analyse production processes for improvement
  • manage staff
  • apply control process statistical methods
  • communicate production plan
  • follow production schedule
  • meet productivity targets
  • schedule regular machine maintenance
  • act reliably
  • adapt production levels
  • adjust production schedule
  • apply GMP
  • apply HACCP
  • apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages

Knowledge

  • quality assurance methodologies
  • food legislation
  • manufacturing processes
  • production processes

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades, a group of 23 jobs that includes skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 6.5%about 72,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035338,000including 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.