Official ONS earnings · 140 occupations compared
South East vs Wales
Typical pay is about 7% higher in South East, but that headline hides a lot: Wales pays more for 52 of the 140 occupations measured in both.
South East
£34,801
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 237
- Highest paid
- £95,391
- Lowest paid
- £3,432
Wales
£32,489
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 167
- Highest paid
- £86,152
- Lowest paid
- £10,404
Where South East pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in South East's favour.
£63,289 in South East · £42,497 in Wales
£52,294 in South East · £37,375 in Wales
Health and safety managers and officers
+39.2%£51,581 in South East · £37,056 in Wales
£67,902 in South East · £49,827 in Wales
Road construction operatives
+35.7%£48,930 in South East · £36,060 in Wales
£47,086 in South East · £34,817 in Wales
Estimators, valuers and assessors
+34.9%£43,813 in South East · £32,489 in Wales
£50,719 in South East · £38,098 in Wales
Where Wales pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in Wales's favour.
Sales related occupations n.e.c.
+31.1%£40,049 in Wales · £27,587 in South East
Assemblers and routine operatives n.e.c.
+22.7%£35,251 in Wales · £27,258 in South East
Production, factory and assembly supervisors
+20.8%£38,701 in Wales · £30,664 in South East
Other health professionals n.e.c.
+20.4%£40,091 in Wales · £31,903 in South East
Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods)
+20.3%£36,804 in Wales · £29,344 in South East
£48,809 in Wales · £39,131 in South East
Tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters
+17.1%£35,085 in Wales · £29,101 in South East
Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers
+16.7%£30,254 in Wales · £25,199 in South East
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | South East | Wales | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call and contact centre occupations | £25,626 | £25,609 | +0.1% |
| Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors | £43,158 | £43,217 | -0.1% |
| Financial accounts managers | £41,620 | £41,724 | -0.2% |
| Care workers and home carers | £22,584 | £22,622 | -0.2% |
| Bank and post office clerks | £26,600 | £26,687 | -0.3% |
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional), Table 15. Comparison covers the 140 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.