Factory Worker: career path and pay in the UK
Where a Factory Worker goes next, what each step typically pays in the United Kingdom, and how exposed the path is to AI replacement. 4 steps, from Factory Worker / Production Worker to Production Supervisor / Manufacturing Supervisor.
Also for the United States: Factory Worker in the US
The path
Step 1 · 0 to 2 years
Factory Worker / Production Worker
£25K to £35K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Manufacturing Safety Certification (required) - Global, Health & Safety Certification (required) - Global.
Step 2 · 2 to 5 years
Senior Factory Worker / Skilled Worker
£25K to £40K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Manufacturing Safety Certification - Global, Health & Safety Certification - Global, Machine-specific certifications (optional) - Global.
Step 3 · 5 to 8 years
Factory Worker Supervisor / Team Lead
£25K to £40K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Manufacturing Safety Certification - Global, Health & Safety Certification - Global, Supervisory Skills Certification (optional) - Global.
Step 4 · 8+ years
Production Supervisor / Manufacturing Supervisor
£30K to £45K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Manufacturing Safety Certification - Global, Health & Safety Certification - Global, Supervisory Skills Certification - Global, Manufacturing Management Certification (optional) - Global.
Exposure and pay along the path
Exposure to AI, now to later
76% → 24%
Falls 52 points. Each step is harder to automate than the last. Lower is better.
Typical pay, now to later
£25K to £35K → £30K to £45K
UK estimates by job title, Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale UK. No UK estimate was found for Senior Production Operative; this band is placed between the neighbouring steps.
What the work involves
Work as part of a team having responsibility for assembling an entire product or component of a product. Team assemblers can perform all tasks conducted by the team in the assembly process and rotate through all or most of them, rather than being assigned to a specific task on a permanent basis. May participate in making management decisions affecting the work. Includes team leaders who work as part of the team.
Skills that matter most
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Computers and Electronics
Education people bring
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED): 82%
- Bachelor's Degree: 7%
- Some College Courses: 7%
Job Zone 2, job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Other paths from here
More Manufacturing/Warehouse paths in the UK
Related occupations in O*NET: Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers, Engine and Other Machine Assemblers, Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers, Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians.
Your own role
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SourcesSalary bands: Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale UK, UK national averages by job title, retrieved September 2026Skills, knowledge and education: O*NET 31.0 Database
This page 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. CC BY 4.0
Salary estimates by job title from Glassdoor UK, Indeed UK and PayScale, retrieved September 2026. Each band runs from 20% below to 20% above the reported average, rounded to £5K. Exposure percentages and the skills listed under each step are this app's own editorial ratings, not published data.