SOC 8135 Process, plant and machine operatives

Printing machine assistants Salary

Median salary £29,657 per year (2025). Based on ONS ASHE data.

Gross pay, before deductions. See take-home pay on £30,000 after tax and National Insurance →

For printing machine assistants, £29,925 is the typical (median) pay. That is below the UK full-time median of £39,039 — -23% versus the national average.

About this role

Mining and quarrying operatives extract minerals, stone, sand and gravel from the earth using heavy machinery. They drill, blast, load and transport extracted materials, operating in open-cast mines, quarries and underground mining operations.

Key responsibilities

Operating drilling, loading and extraction equipment
Driving dump trucks and heavy plant in quarry environments
Monitoring extraction operations and maintaining quality
Following blasting and explosive handling procedures
Maintaining equipment and following safety procedures

Qualifications and entry routes

MPQC (Mineral Products Qualifications Council) competence certificates. NVQ in Extractive Operations. CPCS for plant operations. Shotfirer certification for those handling explosives.

Career outlook

Aggregates demand from construction sustains quarrying employment. Environmental regulation and planning constraints shape the sector's future.

Key skills

Heavy plant operation Extraction techniques Safety in quarry environments Physical fitness Equipment maintenance

Common industries

Quarrying
Aggregates production
Opencast coal
Sand and gravel extraction
Dimension stone

Data coverage

SOC code 8135

Data source ONS ASHE

Years available 2015–2025

Estimated jobs 10,000

Median Salary

£29,657

Mean Salary

£31,456

Jobs (000s)

10k

Data Years

11 years

Salary Range (2025)

P25: £25,117Median: £29,657

P10: --P25: £25kMedian: £30kP75: --P90: --

Estimated Career Progression

Based on salary percentile distribution for this occupation

Entry Level

£25,117

0-2 years

Mid Level

£25,117

3-7 years

Salary Trend (2015-2025)

Adjust for inflation

Nominal growth: +53.4%Real growth: +11.2%

Gender Pay Comparison (2025)

Full-time vs All Employees (2025)

All Employees

£29,657

Full-time Only

£29,925

Full-time premium: +£268

Printing machine assistants salary: common questions

How much do printing machine assistants earn in the UK?

Printing machine assistants earn a median of £29,925 a year (ONS ASHE 2025).

Is £29,925 a good salary in the UK?

For printing machine assistants, £29,925 is the typical (median) pay. That is below the UK full-time median of £39,039 — -23% versus the national average.

What is the starting salary for printing machine assistants?

Entry-level printing machine assistants typically start near the lower end of the range. The bottom 25% earn up to £25,117, though this varies by employer and region.

Have printing machine assistants salaries kept up with inflation?

Since 2015, median printing machine assistants pay has risen from £19,867 to £29,925 — +51% in cash terms, or +9.0% after CPIH inflation. That is ahead of inflation over the period.

Figures: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, gross annual pay. UK full-time median £39,039 (2025).