Forklift Operator Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 19,000 jobs.
Median salary
£31,016
gross, per year
▲ 9.5% change on the previous year
Mean
£32,288
Jobs measured
19,000
What most forklift operators actually earn
Half of forklift operators earn between £26,467 and £38,799. Earning above £38,799 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of forklift operators earn less than this.
Forklift Operator salary by region
8 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| South West | £40,846 | £45,678 |
| Scotland | £34,800 | £35,393 |
| South East | £33,998 | £34,911 |
| North West | £29,736 | £31,481 |
| East | £29,558 | £30,270 |
| West Midlands | £26,624 | £28,983 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £26,384 | £28,709 |
| East Midlands | £25,685 | £28,155 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Fork-lift truck drivers
- SOC 2020 code
- 8222
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Forklift Operator salary FAQs
What is the average Forklift Operator salary in UK?
The median is £31,016 a year and the mean is £32,288, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is a good Forklift Operator salary?
Half of forklift operators earn between £26,467 and £38,799. Anything above £38,799 is in the top quarter for the role.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records, covering 19,000 jobs in this occupation.
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