Care workers and software developers are the most common full-time jobs held by women and men respectively, according to new analysis of ONS data.*
Care workers make up the largest full-time workforce overall, with over half a million (501,400) estimated employees in the year to December 2024. That’s about 2.3% of the UK’s 21.7 million full-time employees (not including self-employed workers).
Just behind, with 487,000 full-time employees, are programmers and software development professionals – an umbrella term that encompasses 127 related job titles. In London, the South East, and East of England, more people work in this occupational role than any other.
The third most popular, or widely-held, full-time job is secondary school teachers, with 385,000 employees.
Other jobs held by a significant number of full-time workers include office administrators and clerical assistants (369,100 estimated employees), sales accounts and business development managers (319,700), and financial managers and directors (311,900).
The 10 most common full-time occupations in the UK – and what they pay:
- Care workers and home carers: 501,400 estimated employees (£25,570 per year)
- Programmers and software development professionals: 487,000 (£54,669)
- Secondary education teaching professionals: 385,000 (£45,384)
- Other administrative occupations n.e.c.: 369,100 (£27,550)
- Sales accounts and business development managers: 319,700 (£55,200)
- Financial managers and directors: 311,900 (£75,093)
- Warehouse operatives : 276,800 (£26,401)
- Primary education teaching professionals: 268,400 (£42,763)
- Other nursing professionals: 265,300 (£40,737)
- Large goods vehicle drivers: 250,300 (£38,761)
HR managers and directors did make the top 20, with 192,500 estimated full-time employees earning an average median salary of £52,937.
The most common jobs held by women and men
Perhaps surprisingly, there’s very little overlap when comparing the top 10 most common jobs held by women and those most widely held by men. Based on the ONS’ data, just two occupations – secondary school teachers and financial managers and directors – appear in both lists.
This suggests that there is still much gender segregation in the UK’s job market, with men or women over- or under-represented in many common occupations. For example, women form two-fifths (42%) of the full-time workforce but hold just a fifth (20%) of IT professionals roles and three-quarters (74%) of health professionals roles. While men, who form over half (58%) of the full-time workforce, hold nine in ten (91%) skilled trades occupations but just a third (33%) of roles in administrative and secretarial work.
Illustrating this trend, the top five jobs with the most full-time female employees in the UK are care workers and home carers, administrative and clerical assistants (other administrative occupations n.e.c), other nursing professionals (including registered nurses, staff nurses, matrons, sisters and ward managers), and primary and secondary education teaching professionals.
The five jobs with the largest number of full-time male employees are programmers and software development professionals, LGV drivers, warehouse operatives, sales accounts and business development managers, and financial managers and directors.
Over time, ongoing occupational gender segregation can perpetuate gender stereotypes and bias, negatively impact career advancement, training opportunities and employee mobility, and contribute to gender pay gaps in specific roles or across whole industries.
The UK still has a stubbornly high gender pay gap (in favour of men) despite it halving over the past 20 years from an average of 14.5% in 2004 to 7% in 2024 for full-time employees. Roles that may have stereotypically been seen as more ‘feminised’ in the past, due to their predominantly female workforces, such as care work, administration, or nursing, have been subject to systemic undervaluation for years, if not decades.
The research shows that three-quarters (75% or 15) of the 20 most common jobs held by men pay men in these roles more than the UK’s average median salary of £37,430. In comparison, just 40% (or 8) of the 20 most common jobs held by women pay women in these roles more than the UK average.
Ways that employers can help address gender pay disparities include introducing regular equal pay audits and pay transparency policies, increased investment in diversity and inclusion training to eliminate bias in recruitment and promotion processes, and greater access to flexible working arrangements for all.
*Ciphr’s research also uncovered insights into the most common occupations across different salary levels:
