What are the highest paying jobs in the UK? – Forbes Advisor UK

Whether you’re a university student thinking about future employment, or a working professional contemplating a career change, many factors are at play when deciding which job to go for. And one is, undeniably, which career pays the most money.

Of course, the right job for you depends on much more than just salary. But earning potential is likely to be a key concern, especially if you’ve invested time and money in higher education.

So, what are the highest-paying jobs in the UK?

To find out, we’ve used the latest data from the 2021 Census, the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Market Report and the House of Commons Research Library.

Average pay in the UK

As of March 2021 (the latest Census), there were 37.5 million people in England and Wales of working age (18 to 64) which equates to 62.9% of the population. Of those aged 16 and over, 29.4 million were recorded as being in work – or ‘economically active’.

So, what are they earning?

• The median monthly pay in June 2026 was £2,632 according to estimates. This equates to an annual salary of £31,584 before deductions.
• For weekly earners, the average income across all industry sectors in May (latest figures) stood at £749, a slight fall on the £754 recorded in April. The figure is equivalent to an annual pre-tax salary of £38,948.
• Annual growth in employees’ average earnings stood at 4.3% in June 2026 compared to the previous year. The figure refers to regular earnings (excluding bonuses) and total earnings (including bonuses)
• While wage growth is slowing overall, rises are outpacing the current rate of inflation which stood at 2.6% in the year to June 2026.

Average pay and gender

Median average pay varies between the sexes. The latest ONS Gender Pay Gap Report (published in April 2025) showed that:

• Average hourly earnings for all men workers (full-time and part-time) is £20.27, compared to £18.87 for women
• This results in a gender pay gap of 6.9%, which is down slightly from the 7.1% recorded in April 2024
• The gender pay gap varies by region but it’s lower in Northern Ireland (1.1%), Wales (1.9%) and Scotland (3.5%) than in every region of England
• The gender pay gap for full-time employees aged 40 to 49 years (9.1%) is considerably higher for workers aged 30 to 39 years (3.9%). This may be the result of the beginning of motherhood
• The gender pay gap is present in all nine major occupation group but largest in skilled trades occupations (13.9%), associate professional and technical occupations (12.5%), and process plant and machine operatives (12.3%).

Men in full-time employment earned more than women in full-time employment in all major occupation groups in April 2025

Gender pay gap for full-time median gross hourly earnings (excluding overtime), by occupation, UK, April 2024 and April 2025

Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) from the Office for National Statistics

Average pay and age

The age of workers has a large bearing on how much they earn. As of April 2025, median weekly pay was highest for employees in their 40s and lowest for younger workers between 16 and 17, according to the House of Commons Library Report.

Median average full-time pay by age:

• 16-17: £373
• 18 -21: £499
• 22-29: £648
• 30-39: £805
• 40-49: £870
• 50-59: £831
• 60+: £727
• All ages: £767

What are the highest-paying jobs?

High pay for these purposes is calculated as an hourly rate that is one-and-a-half times that of the median average, or higher. This means that, as of April 2025, according to the Labour Market Report:

• High pay is classed as earning £26.94 an hour or higher
• Low pay is classed as earning £11.97 an hour (two-thirds of median hourly pay) or less.

In April 2025, the share of employees who were in high pay were in the following occupations:

• managerial (51.4%)
• professional (46.9)
• information and communication (46.1%)
• finance and insurance (54.1%).

The report also found that:

• Full-time employees (27.3%) were more likely to be in high pay than part-time employees (12.6%)
• High-paid employees were most common in the 45 to 49 years age group (33.3%)
• Men (27.4%) were more likely to be in high pay than women (19.0%)
• High-paid employees were more concentrated in London (40.8%) than other regions.

Which regions in the UK pay the most?

The table below shows the average weekly gross earnings of full-time employees across the regions.

Workers who are unhappy with their pay

Almost seven-in-10 workers (69%) feel they are not paid enough and need a pay rise, according to a recent Forbes Advisor survey. In contrast just 16% of the survey’s respondents reported being satisfied with their pay, saying it was ‘enough’.

What are the highest-paying jobs?

It is perhaps unsurprising that the highest-paid workers in the UK include pilots, finance and IT directors, chief executives and other senior directors and leaders.

The high average pay of pilots and air traffic controllers is closely followed by that of IT directors, chief executives, and marketing and sales directors.

Directors in logistics and warehouse management, head teachers and specialist medical practitioners also earn much higher salaries than the median average.

Jobs with the highest average pay

What are the highest-paying jobs in AI?

In its recent Future of Work report, which surveyed more than 800 companies worldwide employing a total of 11.3 million workers, the World Economic Forum stated that jobs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning would be the fastest growing, relative to their size today, over the next five years.

Workers who choose this industry sector stand to potentially earn a high salary.

Data from a report compiled by Harnham, the specialist recruiter for AI jobs, shows the average annual salaries for entry-level AI jobs in London start from £43,000, or from £35,000 outside the capital.

AI engineers and those working in deep learning have the highest starting salaries in London and outside London. Deep learning is a part of machine learning that uses algorithms to enhance AI and machine learning.

Salaries for roles in natural language processing and large language models, jobs which involve programming machines to understand and generate human language (such as developing a customer service chatbot, for example), start from an average of £46,000 in London, or £39,999 outside the capital, according to Harnham’s report.

Highest paid AI jobs: entry-level role

Tips on getting a high-paying job

Getting into a highly paid career is likely to take many years of study, training or work experience, or most likely a combination of all three.

As a general rule the more experience and skills you have in a particular field or role the more you’ll be paid. This is one of the main reasons for the highest median pay falling in the older age categories, typically those aged 40 to 59.

Whether you’re just starting out on a chosen career path, or you already have a number of years of work under your belt, there are a range of useful things you can do to boost your earning potential.

1. Establish a clear plan

It’s important to have a career plan to clarify where you want to be in five or 10 years’ time, and what you’ll need to do, in terms of training, qualifications and experience, to get there.

Enlist the help of a mentor or coach where possible, perhaps a trusted senior colleague in your workplace, to discuss your goals and ambitions and a realistic plan of action.

2. Gain skills, training and experience

The more skills and experience you can gain the more likely you’ll be promoted or hired for more senior positions in new companies and organisations, boosting your salary in the process.

While this can take time and money, particularly if you’re shelling out for your own training courses and qualifications, it can be an excellent investment in your future earning power.

If you’re going to fund your own training to become a pilot, for example, estimates suggest this could cost around £130,000 and could take up to two years.

ONS data shows the median average annual gross salary for a pilot is over £90,000 meaning net annual pay would be around £60,000 per year. Based on this it would take more than two years to ‘earn back’ the initial £130,000 outlay in net salary.

However, this is assuming a newly-qualified pilot could get a job at this pay grade. In reality, it could take many years for a pilot to gain the experience required to command this sort of salary.

If you’re an employee, ask your employer what on-the-job training it can offer, or if there are any in-house programmes that will enable you to gain new skills.

For some roles and professions it will be important to improve your skills in a specific field or area so you can become an expert. For IT professionals, such as software developers, for example, a bootcamp or tailored course could be valuable. Fine tuning your expertise is a great way to increase your chances of finding new roles.

Gaining general workplace skills, such as management, leadership, and IT knowledge can also be important as you progress in your career.

Related: Best Online Stock Trading Courses

3. Do your research

Find out the average salaries for the roles you’re interested in, and at different levels. This can help when it comes to applying for a promotion or when moving to a new employer. Recruitment websites, such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn, and trade bodies can often help with finding out salary information.

Actively looking for new roles and being prepared to move can be a good way to boost your pay, depending on your particular field of work.

4. Be prepared to relocate

While little more than a quarter (28%) of working adults in Great Britain ‘hybrid worked‘ between January and March 2025, according to the ONS, the number is rising.

As job location can affect salary, ask yourself if you’re prepared to travel or relocate to potentially earn more? However, remember to balance any increase in pay with higher housing and transport costs in some cities, London being a prime example.

5. Keep flexible

Competition for graduate jobs is at a record high (October 2025), according to data from the Institute of Student Employers. If you are starting out, keep an open-mind about the industry you want to join or the job you want to do within it. Any experience is useful and you can continue applying for more suitable jobs while earning.