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Salary Secrets: What Engineers Actually Earn in 2025

Salary Secrets: What Engineers Actually Earn in 2025

In 2025, engineering remains one of the most vital and dynamic professions in the UK. From powering the nation’s infrastructure to driving innovation in manufacturing and sustainability, engineers are at the heart of progress. But how well are they compensated for their contributions?

This blog explores the current salary landscape for mechanical, electrical, and multiskilled engineers, using official data and projections to assess whether pay reflects the value engineers bring to the economy.

According to the Office for National Statistics  and Statista, the average annual salary for full-time workers in the UK was £37,430 in 2024

Engineers, however, tend to earn above this national average, especially those with specialised or multiskilled roles. In 2025, mechanical engineers earn a median salary of £39,600, electrical engineers earn around £42,000, and multiskilled engineers—those who combine mechanical and electrical expertise—command the highest average at £46,798

Mechanical Engineer: From Graduate to Senior

In 2025, mechanical engineers in the UK are seeing steady salary growth from graduate roles through to senior positions. Entry-level roles typically start around £23,000 to £30,000. As experience builds, particularly after three to five years, salaries tend to increase to approximately £45,000 to £46,000, according to Jobted. For those in senior or chartered positions, the salary can rise to £75,000 or even exceed £100,000 in some specialised industries. The trajectory is clear—engineers who continue professional development and gain specialist or leadership roles are seeing the biggest gains.

Electrical Engineer

Electrical engineers are enjoying a similar upward trend in earnings. While early roles begin at around £27,000, mid-level positions move closer to £42,000, with experienced engineers making £58,000 and beyond. Engineers who achieve chartered status can see salaries push past £60,000. With growing demand across renewables, smart buildings, and manufacturing systems, electrical engineering remains a high-potential career path.

Multi-Skilled Engineer

Multi-skilled engineers, particularly those working in FMCG and manufacturing sectors, are seeing highly varied salaries depending on location, shifts, and overtime. Indeed lists the national average salary at £27,000 per year, while Reed.co.uk data shows an average of £44,000. In practice, experienced engineers working shifts with overtime often reach £50,000 to £55,000 annually.

These roles continue to be valuable to employers due to their flexibility in handling both mechanical and electrical breakdowns, contributing to improved uptime and lower maintenance costs. Salary competitiveness is also driven by the ongoing skills shortage in the maintenance and automation fields.

Location Impact: London vs The Rest

Location still plays a major role in determining engineering salaries in the UK. The median salary in London is reported at £45,900, compared to £44,800 in Bristol and around £43,500 in industrial hubs like Manchester and Aberdeen. However, engineers are increasingly factoring in the cost of living—£45K in London doesn’t stretch as far as £45K in cities like Leeds or Nottingham.

Skills That Boost Pay

Across all engineering disciplines, specific technical skills are pushing salaries higher. Engineers with knowledge in PLC programming, control systems, and industrial automation are in high demand. Data from CDRE Elite Writers highlights that automation and AI integration skills, especially for electrical engineers, lead to significantly higher earnings. Certifications such as IEng, CEng, AWS, or Azure further boost earning potential, opening doors to senior roles or specialist positions.

Certified engineers in DevOps or automation frequently command salaries in the range of £77,000 to £104,000, depending on industry and role.

Data & Software-Focused Engineers

Engineers working in data-focused roles are seeing some of the highest salaries in 2025. Data engineers can earn between £50,000 and £125,000, depending on their level of experience and the complexity of the systems they manage. Software engineers are also well-compensated, with entry-level salaries averaging £53,000 to £58,000 and growing rapidly with experience. These roles often intersect with automation, offering strong career potential for engineers with hybrid software and hardware skills.

However, salary is only one part of the equation. Engineers also weigh job satisfaction, work-life balance, location, and opportunities for advancement.

Final Thoughts: Key Takeaways for 2025

If you're in the early years of your engineering career, this is the period where your salary growth is most significant. Those who focus on gaining experience, achieving chartered status, and adding in-demand technical skills can accelerate their earnings. Hybrid roles—those combining software, automation, and data—are showing the strongest growth in both compensation and opportunity.

Multi-skilled roles with shift premiums continue to be strong earners in operational environments, and regional salary differences still need to be weighed against the cost of living. For most engineers, staying current with certifications and expanding their skillset is the most reliable path to long-term income growth.

References

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