Food and drink factories across the UK are struggling to fill the people who keep the lines running. Vacancy rates in the sector reached 4.2% in the second quarter of 2025, more than double the manufacturing average, and process operator roles sit right at the centre of that gap. For plant managers, it's the difference between hitting output and losing it.
Key Takeaways
- Food and drink manufacturing ran a 4.2% vacancy rate in Q2 2025, more than double wider manufacturing at 2.0% and the UK average of 2.3%, according to the Food and Drink Federation.
- Food and drink is the UK's largest manufacturing sector, with £148bn turnover, 24% of all UK manufacturing, and around 500,000 people employed.
- Nearly a third of the workforce reaches retirement age by the mid-2030s, and over 40% of food processing staff are already over 45.
- Labour shortages cost the sector around £1bn in lost output in 2023.
- Automation is raising the skill bar, so demand is shifting toward more technical process operators, not away from them.
What's driving the process operator shortage
Why are UK food plants short of process operators?
Several pressures are landing at once. The workforce is ageing, with over 40% of food processing staff already over 45 and nearly a third of the sector reaching retirement age by the mid-2030s, according to the Food and Drink Federation. At the same time, roughly 1.3 million foreign-born workers left the UK during the pandemic and many haven't returned, thinning a pool the sector had relied on.
Demand hasn't eased to match. The sector's vacancy rate climbed to 4.2% in Q2 2025, up from 3.9% the previous quarter, and a persistent perception problem keeps younger workers from seeing food manufacturing as a career. That mix of a shrinking pool and steady demand is exactly the hiring challenge running through the FMCG sector, and process operator roles feel it first.
How big is the food and drink sector's labour gap?
It's the largest manufacturing sector in the country, so the gap is substantial. Food and drink turns over £148bn a year, accounts for 24% of all UK manufacturing, and employs around 500,000 people across roughly 12,195 businesses. A workforce that size can't absorb shortages quietly.
The cost shows up on the balance sheet. Labour shortages cost the sector an estimated £1bn in lost output in 2023, and survey data from The Sterling Choice found 56% of food and drink firms facing chronic shortages for lower-skilled roles, rising to 67% for seasonal work. The lines that can't be fully staffed are the lines that can't run at full capacity.
The headcount paradox
If businesses are cutting jobs, why is there still a shortage?
The two facts sit together more comfortably than they look. The Food and Drink Federation found 41% of businesses expected to cut headcount over the following 12 months, which sounds like the opposite of a shortage. That figure is cost-driven caution, not a surplus of the right people.
Costs are the reason. Production costs rose 6.3% in the year to June 2025 and sector pay rose 2.9%, squeezing margins and making firms wary of growing total headcount. Underneath that caution, the specific skilled and technical operator roles stay unfilled, so it's a skills mismatch rather than an oversupply, and it's a familiar pattern across the manufacturing recruitment market.
What automation means for the role
Does automation remove the need for process operators?
No, it reshapes the role rather than deleting it. As lines automate, the operator moves from manual handling to running, monitoring and troubleshooting automated equipment, which asks for more technical skill, not less. The job gets harder to fill, not easier.
The evidence backs that up. Automate UK reported that 81% of automation end-users cited automation itself as their main challenge, because the people who can run and maintain it are scarce. So the plants investing in Industry 4.0 need operators who can read a control system and diagnose a fault, which is precisely the profile that specialist manufacturing recruitment has to work hardest to source.
What do process operators earn in 2026?
Pay depends heavily on the sub-sector and the technical demands of the line. Food production process operators average around £32,000, with a spread from roughly £25,300 to £43,600 (Jooble, 2025), while chemical and industrial process operators sit higher at roughly £35,000 to £40,700 (Indeed and SalaryExpert). Entry production-operative roles cluster near the national living wage, with live 2026 job ads around £12.70 to £15.40 an hour (Reed).
That range is widening, not flattening. As automated lines demand operators who can run and troubleshoot equipment, the technical end of the pay scale pulls away from the entry end. Employers competing only on the living wage are fishing in the shallowest, most contested part of the pool.
How Scantec fills process operator and manufacturing roles
Our FMCG and manufacturing desk works the roles that keep plants running, from process operators to line supervisors. Filling them in a tight market is about reach and speed, not reposting a job ad and hoping.
- We build a local shortlist, not a national trickle. We work our regional networks around your site, because operators hire close to home and volume roles need a nearby pool.
- We match to the line, not just the title. We screen for the specific equipment, shift pattern and technical level a role needs, so submissions fit the plant rather than the job board.
- We benchmark pay against live local demand. With costs rising and the living wage climbing, we advise on rates that fill a shift instead of leaving it open.
- We keep the pipeline warm through onboarding. We hold candidates through offer and start, the point at which volume placements most often drop out.
That practical, plant-first approach is what genuine FMCG and food recruitment looks like, and it's how we keep lines staffed when the pool is this tight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a process operator do?
A process operator runs and monitors the equipment on a manufacturing line, keeping production flowing to quality and output targets. In food, drink and chemical plants that means operating machinery, carrying out quality checks, recording batch data and troubleshooting faults. Increasingly the role involves running automated systems rather than manual handling.
How much does a process operator earn in the UK?
UK process operators typically earn from around £25,000 at entry to the low £40,000s in technical roles. Food production process operators average about £32,000 (Jooble, 2025), while chemical and industrial process operators run higher, roughly £35,000 to £40,700 (Indeed and SalaryExpert). Entry production-operative roles cluster near the national living wage.
Is there a shortage of factory workers in the UK?
Yes, particularly in food and drink manufacturing, which ran a 4.2% vacancy rate in Q2 2025, more than double the manufacturing average. An ageing workforce, reduced overseas labour supply and a perception problem all feed it, and shortages cost the sector around £1bn in lost output in 2023 (Food and Drink Federation).
How do you become a process operator?
Most process operators start with no formal qualification beyond GCSEs and train on the job, though apprenticeships and food-safety or manufacturing certificates help. As lines automate, employers increasingly value technical aptitude, so operators who can run and diagnose automated equipment progress fastest and command higher pay than entry production-operative roles.
About the author
Peter Bates founded Scantec in 1990 and still leads the business today, holding to the same values it started with: delivery, integrity, transparency and compliance. Under his direction Scantec has grown into a UK Top 10 technical and engineering recruitment specialist, placing contract and permanent staff across nuclear, oil and gas, power generation, chemical, pharmaceutical and manufacturing. The firm holds ECIA, EIC, REC, FPAL, Achilles UVDB, JIB and ISO 9001 accreditation.
Filling process operator and manufacturing roles in 2026
Scantec's FMCG and manufacturing team can brief you on candidate availability, local pay rates and realistic time-to-hire for process operators and line staff across your sites. Call the desk on 0151 666 8999 or submit a vacancy to get started.
