jobfacts

Web designer

Web design professionals — SOC 2020 2141

Web design professionals design, develop and maintain websites and web and mobile applications to meet a client’s specified requirements.

Also calledDigital designerApp designerApplications designerHuman-AI interaction designerUi designerUX designerand 24 more titles
Typical full-time pay£48,6002025 Provisional
People in the job31,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month372↓ 1.1%on last year · 288th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time web designers earn, 2025
£48,600 typical£29,600lowest 20%£33,20025%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£29,600
25%£33,200
Median£48,600
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £48,600
West Midlands!£49,300
South East!£45,200
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot 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, £48,600
West Midlands£49,300 (small sample)
South East£45,200 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot 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 £43,400
  • 2024 £43,800
  • 2025 Provisional£48,600
↑ 12% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 372 jobs for web designers 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 2026425
Jul 2026380
Jun 2026316
May 2026356
Apr 2026286
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026334
Jan 2026364
Dec 2025219
Nov 2025516
Oct 2025543
Sept 2025354
Aug 2025510
Jul 2025485
Jun 2025565
May 2025499
Apr 2025352
Mar 2025415
Feb 2025358
Jan 2025282
Dec 2024192
Nov 2024338
Oct 2024298
Sept 2024259
Aug 2024317
Jul 2024344
Jun 2024347
May 2024387
Apr 2024402
Mar 2024406
Feb 2024399
Jan 2024568
Dec 2023386
Nov 2023382
Oct 2023373
Sept 2023369
Aug 2023481
Jul 2023444
Jun 2023745
May 2023728
Apr 2023588
Mar 2023849
Feb 2023884
Jan 20231,006
Dec 2022944
Nov 20221,118
Oct 20221,079
Sept 20221,038
Aug 20221,214
Jul 20221,329
Jun 20221,452
May 20221,619
Apr 20221,399
Mar 20221,817
Feb 20221,976
Jan 20221,709
Dec 20211,284
Nov 20211,292
Oct 20211,385
Sept 20211,239
Aug 20211,285
Jul 20211,475
Jun 20211,316
May 20211,310
Apr 20211,061
Mar 20211,450
Feb 2021969
Jan 2021977
Dec 2020764
Nov 2020730
Oct 2020849
Sept 2020783
Aug 2020617
Jul 2020648
Jun 2020708
May 2020718
Apr 2020809
Mar 20201,408
Feb 20201,498
Jan 20201,357
Dec 20191,039
Nov 20191,409
Oct 20191,220
Sept 20191,252
Aug 20191,531
Jul 20191,902
Jun 20192,075
May 20191,942
Apr 20191,290
Mar 20191,814
Feb 20191,820
Jan 20191,783
Dec 20181,202
Nov 20181,209
Oct 20181,145
Sept 20181,318
Aug 20181,239
Jul 20181,405
Jun 20181,336
May 20181,485
Apr 20181,463
Mar 20181,829
Feb 20182,075
Jan 20181,689
Dec 20171,186
Nov 20171,401
Oct 20171,385
Sept 20171,186
Aug 20171,344
Jul 20171,114
Jun 20171,288
May 20171,285
Apr 20171,482
Mar 20171,599
Feb 20171,337
Jan 20171,636
Is there a shortage of web designers?
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 grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
28%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, which includes web designers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London447
Manchester74
Leeds38
Birmingham35
Bristol, City of33
Glasgow City32
Newcastle upon Tyne26
City of Edinburgh22
Sheffield21
Nottingham19
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where web designers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 101 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, United States, Pakistan, ranking it 98th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of web designers
n/p
43%!
26%!
27%!
n/p
1.1%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3443% (small sample)
35–4426% (small sample)
45–5427% (small sample)
55–64Not published
65+1.1% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent89%
Higher education below degree!3.5%
A levels or equivalent!8.3%
GCSEs or equivalent!7.5%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent89%
Higher education below degree3.5% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent8.3% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent7.5% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: computer programming activities (33%), computer consultancy activities (17%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (4.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
89%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
3
from level 4, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
2 to 4 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could study for a higher national diploma or degree in:

  • web design and development
  • multimedia design
  • digital media development
  • interactive computing
  • graphic design
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could take a college course to learn some of the skills you need for this job, for example:

  • web design
  • web design and development
  • creative digital media production
  • T Level in Digital Software Development
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with a design company, such as:

  • Content Creator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Creative Digital Design Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start working as a design assistant or web support assistant and move into a web design professional role through training and promotion.

Volunteering

You could volunteer for a local community group or charity and create a website for them. Any experience you can get will be helpful when applying for jobs.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You'll need a portfolio of work that showcases your creative design skills to employers.

You can keep up to date with the latest trends, features and design tools by:

  • using free webinars and online training courses
  • signing up to free online web design channels
  • reading and watching the latest industry blogs for news and tips
  • exploring how to use artificial intelligence tools to enhance your skills
Further information

You can get more advice about careers in web design from techskills.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for web designer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 4About 2 years

Digital accessibility specialist

Leads to
International Association of Accessibility Professionals
Employers may ask for
Employers will set their own entry requirements but these may typically be: - at least five GCSEs grades A* – C (9 – 4), including English and Maths, ideally…
Details on Skills England
Level 6About 4 yearsDegree

Digital user experience (UX) professional

You gain
BA or BSc Digital User Experience (UX) degree
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
Certificate of Higher Education in Technical Practice in Digital AccessibilityHigher technical4
Level 4 Diploma in Digital Community ManagementHigher technical4
NCFE Level 4 Diploma: Digital Accessibility SpecialistHigher technical4
Foundation Degree of Science (FdSc) in Computer ScienceHigher technical5

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • liaises with internal/external client in order to define the requirements for the website or applications
  • presents design options to the client
  • designs web pages and applications including graphics, animation and functionality to maximise visual effectiveness and facilitate appropriate access
  • designs web interfaces for relational database systems

Skills

  • design graphics
  • finish project within budget
  • develop animations
  • follow a brief
  • operate 3D computer graphics software
  • adapt to type of media
  • analyse a script
  • follow work schedule
  • apply 3D imaging techniques
  • convert into animated object
  • create 3D characters
  • study media sources
  • consult with production director
  • create 3D environments

Knowledge

  • copyright legislation
  • graphic design
  • multimedia systems
  • 3D lighting
  • ICT software specifications
  • graphics editor software
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop

Suits people who like

  • Creating and designing
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes web designers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 18%about 394,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 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.