New research has revealed the jobs with the most full-time employees in the UK.
There are now more people working full-time as programmers and software development professionals than any other occupation type, according to a new study by HR software provider Ciphr based on the ONS’ latest Annual Population Survey estimates.
In the year to December 2023, there was a 14% increase in the number of programmers and software development professionals – an umbrella term that includes over 120 job titles, such as software engineer, machine learning engineer, app developer, games designer, computer programmer, IT analyst and software architect – employed in the UK.
It’s now the most popular, or widely held, full-time occupation – accounting for 2.5% (531,600) of the UK’s estimated 21.6 million full-time employees (not including self-employed workers). It also pays a higher-than-average median annual salary of £49,430. Notably, over half (56%) of employees in these roles are based in the south and east regions of England, including London.
Other IT jobs that have seen their full-time workforces grow by at least a quarter in the last few years include cybersecurity professionals (up 58% to 63,300 estimated employees); IT professionals n.e.c., such as IT contractors, DevOps engineers, SAP consultants and web managers (up 28% to 139,400); and IT business analysts, architects, and systems designers (up 26% to 180,300).
The number of people employed as care workers and home carers may have shrunk by 10% in 2023, but its workforce is still nearly half a million strong (437,300) – making it the second most common full-time occupation in the UK. It’s among one of the UK’s lowest-paid jobs, however, with typical median pay coming in at just two-thirds of the UK’s average salary (£23,409 vs £34,963).
The job type with the third largest number of full-time workers is administrators, and administrative and clerical assistants (other administrative occupations n.e.c), with 378,800 estimated employees.
There are also over 300,000 people currently employed as secondary school teachers, financial managers and directors, and warehouse operatives.
The top 20 most common full-time jobs in the UK – and what they pay:
- Programmers and software development professionals: 531,600 estimated employees (£49,430 per year)
- Care workers and home carers: 437,300 (£23,409)
- Other administrative occupations n.e.c: 378,800 (£25,808)
- Secondary education teaching professionals: 356,300 (£42,818)
- Financial managers and directors: 313,600 (£70,000)
- Warehouse operatives: 305,400 (£24,945)
- Other nursing professionals: 298,000 (£37,960)
- Sales accounts and business development managers: 291,300 (£52,495)
- Business and financial project management professionals: 276,600 (£52,896)
- Sales and retail assistants: 273,700 (£21,530)
- Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks: 273,200 (£28,000)
- Primary education teaching professionals: 272,600 (£40,059)
- Managers and directors in retail and wholesale: 246,400 (£33,121)
- Finance and investment analysts and advisers: 236,100 (£40,629)
- Large goods vehicle (LGV) drivers: 229,900 (£37,256)
- IT managers: 223,700 (£50,880)
- Higher education teaching professionals: 207,200 (£47,726)
- Production managers and directors in manufacturing: 205,900 (£51,469)
- Customer service occupations n.e.c: 196,200 (£25,000)
- IT business analysts, architects and systems designers: 180,300 (£51,698)
Based on the latest estimates, the top five jobs with the most full-time female employees in the UK are care workers and home carers, administrative and clerical assistants (other administrative occupations n.e.c), other nursing professionals (including nurses, sisters and matrons), and primary and secondary education teaching professionals.
The five jobs with the most full-time male employees are programmers and software development professionals, warehouse operatives, LGV drivers, financial managers and directors, and sales accounts and business development managers.
What jobs are the most common across the UK?
While there are more programmers and software development professionals in the UK as a whole than any other job, it’s not the most popular job in every part of the UK.
In the northern regions of England, as well as in Scotland and Wales, there are estimated to be more full-time care workers and home carers than programmers and software development professionals.
The West Midlands has a similar number of full-time warehouse operatives, as it does care workers. The East Midlands has more LGV drivers. In Northern Ireland, the data shows that there are more people employed as administrative and clerical assistants than any other job.
Job clusters in the UK
Ciphr also used location quotient analysis to uncover insights into the most disproportionately popular jobs in every part of the UK.
For example, boat and ship builders and repairers appear to be clustered in the south-west of England (they are six times as prevalent in that location than elsewhere). There is nearly twice the concentration of CEOs in London as the rest of the country. And the East Midlands has the highest employment share of publicans and managers of licensed premises, at nearly five times the UK average.
The full results are available at: https://www.ciphr.com/press-releases/these-are-the-most-disproportionately-common-jobs-in-your-part-of-the-uk
Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.
For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.
###
Media enquiries:
Emma-Louise Jones, digital PR manager at Ciphr
e: ejones@ciphr.com
Chris Boddice, chief marketing officer at Ciphr
e: cboddice@ciphr.com
Website: www.ciphr.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ciphr
Notes:
Full-time workforce numbers were sourced from Nomis’ Annual Population Survey: January 2023-December 2023 and January 2022-December 2022 datasets (latest version published in April 2024).
Occupational roles are listed as per the ONS’ four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC2020) codes. Source: SOC 2020 Volume 2: the coding index and coding rules and conventions (Version 10: 22 February 2024): https://bit.ly/47wT2Zo
Salary figures shown are median earnings for full-time workers (which includes basic pay and excludes incentive pay, shift-premium pay, overtime pay and other pay). Based on employee earnings datasets released by the ONS in November 2023 (ASHE Table 14.7a Annual pay – Gross).
For further references, see the notes section at the end of https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/jobs-with-inflation-beating-salaries-in-the-uk.
Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.
Ciphr Group is a privately held company backed by ECI Partners and headquartered in Reading. Over 200 employees work across the group, which includes Ciphr and Marshall E-Learning – a specialist diversity and inclusion learning provider.
Ciphr spokespeople are available to provide expert media comment on a broad range of topics, including HR strategy, people management, employee experience and wellbeing, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), learning and development, the future of work, tech trends, business and leadership, marketing, and more.
HR professionals asked to share insights on menstrual health and endometriosis in the workplace
HR and benefits software provider Ciphr and Endometriosis UK – the country's largest charity supporting all those impacted by endometriosis – have...
Workloads are the leading cause of stress for HR
Research by HR, payroll and benefits software provider Ciphr reveals that just 6.3% of people in HR roles never experience stress at work.
Supporting employees is what HR professionals most like about their jobs
Employees are an organisation’s greatest asset and essential to the successful running of most businesses, so it makes sense that supporting them is...