jobfacts

Upholsterers

SOC 2020 5411

Upholsterers upholster vehicle, aircraft and other seating, fix trimmings to the interiors of vehicles and aircraft, upholster furniture such as chairs and sofas, and make mattresses, curtains and other soft furnishings.

Also calledMattress makerTrimmerCushion makerCoach trimmerCar body trimmerFloor board trimmerand 35 more titles
Typical full-time pay£27,9002025 Provisional
People in the job13,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month111↑ 0.2%on last year · 387th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time upholsterers earn, 2025
£27,900 typicaln/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%Not published
Median£27,900
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £27,900
East Midlands!£24,700
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot 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, £27,900
East Midlands£24,700 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £23,400
  • 2024 £24,500
  • 2025 Provisional£27,900
↑ 19% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 111 jobs for upholsterers 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 2026103
Jul 2026130
Jun 2026101
May 2026122
Apr 2026118
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202695
Jan 2026119
Dec 202550
Nov 2025109
Oct 2025137
Sept 2025133
Aug 2025115
Jul 2025149
Jun 2025125
May 2025116
Apr 2025112
Mar 2025123
Feb 2025120
Jan 202590
Dec 202440
Nov 202484
Oct 2024117
Sept 2024146
Aug 2024124
Jul 2024131
Jun 2024120
May 2024161
Apr 2024133
Mar 202493
Feb 202474
Jan 202499
Dec 202370
Nov 202361
Oct 202375
Sept 202347
Aug 202390
Jul 202379
Jun 2023164
May 2023157
Apr 2023120
Mar 2023156
Feb 2023146
Jan 2023189
Dec 2022112
Nov 2022151
Oct 2022217
Sept 2022175
Aug 2022198
Jul 2022184
Jun 2022240
May 2022220
Apr 2022174
Mar 2022173
Feb 2022191
Jan 2022251
Dec 2021220
Nov 2021217
Oct 2021197
Sept 2021255
Aug 2021233
Jul 2021232
Jun 2021233
May 2021219
Apr 2021165
Mar 2021234
Feb 2021111
Jan 2021117
Dec 2020101
Nov 2020152
Oct 2020196
Sept 2020217
Aug 2020159
Jul 2020144
Jun 202071
May 202039
Apr 202049
Mar 2020102
Feb 2020173
Jan 2020203
Dec 2019113
Nov 2019147
Oct 2019140
Sept 2019149
Aug 2019159
Jul 2019172
Jun 2019163
May 2019138
Apr 2019103
Mar 2019117
Feb 2019118
Jan 2019163
Dec 201882
Nov 2018116
Oct 2018129
Sept 2018199
Aug 2018129
Jul 2018139
Jun 2018129
May 2018171
Apr 2018142
Mar 2018139
Feb 2018129
Jan 2018210
Dec 2017130
Nov 2017165
Oct 2017163
Sept 2017164
Aug 2017222
Jul 2017183
Jun 2017246
May 2017268
Apr 2017242
Mar 2017258
Feb 2017240
Jan 2017273
Is there a shortage of upholsterers?
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 growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
50%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for textiles, printing and other skilled trades, which includes upholsterers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London32
Kirklees11
West Northamptonshire10
Doncaster9
Bradford9
Leeds7
Breckland6
Buckinghamshire6
Somerset6
Milton Keynes6
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where upholsterers 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 upholsterers
n/p
27%!
n/p
31%!
18%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
25–34Not published
35–4427% (small sample)
45–54Not published
55–6431% (small sample)
65+18% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!26%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!37%
GCSEs or equivalent!16%
Other qualifications!16%
No qualifications!16%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent26% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent37% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent16% (small sample)
Other qualifications16% (small sample)
No qualifications16% (small sample)

Main employers: repair of furniture and home furnishings (31%), manufacture of other furniture (20%), manufacture of made-up textile articles, except apparel (18%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
26%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 37%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
15 months to 2 years
typically

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/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • measures frame to be covered or examines drawings or other specifications and cuts material with shears, knife or scissors
  • tacks and staples or otherwise secures webbing to furniture frame
  • pads springs and secures padding by stitching, stapling, tacking, etc.
  • pins sections of coverings together, joins by sewing and inserts trims, braids and buttons as required and fits upholstery unit to frame
  • operates machine to compress padded spring assemblies and inserts them into mattress covers
  • encases bed springs and padding with selected covering material by hand or machine stitching and fits castors where required
  • replaces covering, padding, webbing or springs to repair upholstered furniture
  • measures, cuts, pins, sews and trims fabrics to make curtains, cushions, loose covers and similar soft furnishings

Skills

  • fasten components
  • perform upholstery repair
  • provide customized upholstery
  • sew pieces of fabric
  • sew textile-based articles
  • create patterns for textile products
  • install spring suspension
  • use manual sewing techniques
  • clean furniture
  • handle delivery of furniture goods
  • operate furniture machinery
  • sell furniture
  • upholster transport equipment's interior pieces
  • align components

Knowledge

  • upholstery tools
  • textile materials
  • upholstery fillings
  • furniture industry
  • furniture trends
  • manufacturing of small metal parts
  • quality standards
  • types of spring

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for textiles, printing and other skilled trades, a group of 17 jobs that includes upholsterers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035→ 0%about 0 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035276,000including 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.