Engineering salaries: An overview

Thinking about becoming an engineer but not sure how much you might earn? We take a look at the latest engineering salaries in the sector.

The UK is a great place to take on an engineering role, with plenty of home-grown businesses, many of them key players in the global market. Engineers continue to be in high demand, and wages are climbing to incentivise more bright sparks to enter the industry. 

Whether you're a graduate or trainee looking to get into mechanical or civil engineering, or your real passion lies in electronics or structures, you can have your pick of sectors, including military defence, automotive production, biochemical plants, IT software and telecommunications.

With the rise of Industry 4.0, and the growing emphasis on sustainability and climate change, key areas such as data, artificial intelligence and renewable energy are also looking for tech-savvy young team members. But just how much does an engineer earn these days?

As of April 2024, the cross-sector average starting salary for engineering graduates sits at £37,994 – up almost £10,000 on 2021's figures.

What’s even better is the increase in earning potential: by the time you receive chartership (generally around four years), you're looking at an average salary of around £52,000.

Overall, experienced engineers in the UK are paid well above the national average, with average salaries for senior engineers ranging between £47,000 and £82,000 per annum – even higher in industries like aerospace and oil and gas.

These starting figures are taken from the sector as a whole, and as there are so many routes to take, there are a range of starting salaries for young engineers. In a number of industries, eg. food and drink, pharmaceuticals, defence and manufacturing, the figures are even higher than the average, with oil and gas the best-paying sector overall – but in automotive and rail, they can be around 10% lower.

Your wages can be influenced by whether you’re working for a private or public organisation, and which specialism you decide to follow. A graduate mechanical engineer will earn around £30,000, while a graduate civil engineer's salary will be around £28,000.

For a decade or more, engineering graduates have been in relatively short supply, so you can afford to be a bit scrupulous in your search.

Think carefully about what an employer can give you in terms of a progressive pay scale and leadership opportunities, and consider other factors that might make the role more appealing, such as a large peer group, remote working opportunities to ease the commute, health and wellbeing benefits and social incentives, all of which are seeing greater emphasis among employers.

• Travel: Engineers often get to travel the world, completing stints in various countries for months or years at a time. These jobs tend to be compensated with higher average salaries – 27% higher, in fact, than the national average in 2024. 
• Size: It might be far more convenient for you to jump on board with a local, small-scale firm, or to try to make it as an independent contractor. If you're looking for opportunities and career progression, though, it's worth looking at the bigger companies with bigger budgets for their engineering salaries.
• Location: There's a lot of variation depending on the area you're working in. London comes out ahead in the UK regions, with its overall average almost 10% higher than the national average.
• Time: Since engineers have to deal with a lot of pressure – there could be lives at risk if standards slip – it’s no surprise that proving yourself over several years will entail sufficient rewards.
• Qualifications: Degrees, apprenticeships and diplomas can all influence your pay grade. Again, this varies depending on the area you’re focusing on, but higher education, in this instance, is the surest path to a high-earning job. 

If you're already fascinated by engineering, it's a great sector to get into, with good job security, competitive pay and plenty of cutting-edge projects to pique your interest. Just be sure to do your research into the company and industry so that you start your career journey in the role that's right for you.