SOC 2020 · 8120
Metal working machine operatives
Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations from
Skilled Worker
Not eligible
No Skilled Worker route through this code.
Salary floor
£41,700
The higher of the going rate and the general threshold.
Shortage lists
Not listed
This code is on neither the Immigration Salary List nor the Temporary Shortage List.
What this occupation actually pays
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, full-time gross annual pay.
- UK pay for this occupation
View these figures as a table
| Percentile | Pay |
|---|---|
| 10th | £24,641 |
| 25th | £27,304 |
| 50th | £31,500 |
| 75th | £39,688 |
| Region | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK 2025 | £24,641 | £27,304 | £31,500 | £39,688 | — |
| East Midlands 2025 | — | — | £29,370 | — | — |
| London 2025 | — | — | £31,860 | — | — |
| North East 2025 | — | — | £24,959 | — | — |
| North West 2025 | — | — | £39,104 | — |
Job titles in this code
What the work involves
Metal working machine operatives operate machines to cut, shape, abrade and otherwise machine metal, use hand and power tools to remove surplus metal and rough surfaces from castings, forgings or other metal parts, and clean, smooth and polish metal workpieces.
Typical tasks
secures workpiece in drilling, boring, milling, planing, grinding, lapping, honing, electrochemical, or other shaping machines, or loads metal stock on to press
sets controls, starts machine and operates controls to feed tool to workpiece or vice versa and repositions workpiece during machining as required
withdraws workpiece and examines accuracy using measuring instruments
operates burning, chipping and grinding equipment to remove defects from metal parts, and files, chisels, burns and saws off surplus metal
smooths rough surfaces with hand tools, abrasive belts and wheels, compressed air, jets of vapour, or blasting with shot, grit, sand or other abrasive material
selects and secures polishing head to machine tool, prepares head with emery, grease or other substance, sets speed and angle of polishing head, and operates controls to feed polishing head to workpiece or vice versa
Entry routes and qualifications
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. NVQs/SVQs in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering are available.