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Average HSE Professional Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

An HSE professional in United Kingdom earns about 58,600 GBP a year. That's 16% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 26,500 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 86,800 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does an HSE professional make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
58,600 GBP
4,883 GBP per month
Lowest reported
26,500 GBP
2,208 GBP per month
Highest reported
86,800 GBP
7,233 GBP per month

A typical HSE professional working in United Kingdom brings home around 4,883 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 26,500 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 86,800 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior HSE professional working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the HSE professional salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How HSE professional pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all HSE professionals in United Kingdom earn less than 56,900 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 36,800 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 73,700 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of HSE professionals sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 26,500 GBP. The highest stretch to 86,800 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

26,500
Low
56,900
Median
86,800
High
36,800
25th
73,700
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

HSE professional pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an HSE professional in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical HSE professional salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    32,200 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +29% from previous
    41,500 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +44% from previous
    59,700 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +18% from previous
    70,500 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +11% from previous
    78,200 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +8% from previous
    84,200 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 44%. That is the point at which a HSE professional typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

HSE professional pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving HSE professional pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average HSE professional salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    40,200 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +64% from previous
    65,800 GBP

HSE professional gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male HSE professionals in United Kingdom earn an average of 58,500 GBP a year, while female HSE professionals earn around 54,100 GBP. That works out to a 8% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

HSE Professional gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 58,500 GBP
Women 54,100 GBP

Pay raises for an HSE professional in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 11% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

HSE professional bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

33%

33% of HSE professionals in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an HSE professional a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 67% of HSE professionals reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

HSE professional: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

HSE professional salary by city and region in United Kingdom

HSE professional pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle
  • Nottingham
  • Glasgow
  • London
  • Somerset
  • Belfast
  • Coventry
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion117,100 GBP121,800 GBP58,500-183,600 GBP
ScotlandRegion86,600 GBP86,600 GBP44,800-134,100 GBP
ManchesterCity71,200 GBP73,500 GBP33,600-108,200 GBP
NewcastleCity67,800 GBP69,400 GBP32,200-105,200 GBP
NottinghamCity67,600 GBP67,600 GBP32,200-103,600 GBP
GlasgowCity67,500 GBP65,800 GBP34,000-105,200 GBP
LondonCity67,000 GBP69,600 GBP30,700-105,200 GBP
SomersetCity66,900 GBP59,100 GBP33,300-97,300 GBP
BelfastCity66,900 GBP66,200 GBP34,100-105,200 GBP
CoventryCity66,400 GBP61,200 GBP37,200-103,600 GBP
LeedsCity66,100 GBP67,000 GBP33,000-102,700 GBP
WolverhamptonCity66,000 GBP69,200 GBP29,300-103,600 GBP
EdinburghCity65,800 GBP65,800 GBP32,900-103,600 GBP
CardiffCity65,800 GBP61,300 GBP35,500-101,100 GBP
BirminghamCity65,800 GBP72,700 GBP30,000-107,700 GBP
DerbyCity64,600 GBP58,000 GBP33,800-99,400 GBP
LeicesterCity64,500 GBP62,100 GBP35,100-96,800 GBP
BradfordCity64,300 GBP66,400 GBP31,300-97,900 GBP
PlymouthCity63,900 GBP58,500 GBP32,600-94,400 GBP
LiverpoolCity63,700 GBP58,000 GBP33,800-99,400 GBP
SheffieldCity63,700 GBP67,600 GBP30,200-100,700 GBP
BristolCity63,200 GBP65,900 GBP31,800-100,700 GBP
PeterboroughCity63,200 GBP60,500 GBP31,400-95,000 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity62,600 GBP62,600 GBP32,200-97,300 GBP
SwanseaCity62,500 GBP62,600 GBP30,100-97,200 GBP
OxfordCity62,100 GBP61,400 GBP29,600-94,900 GBP
YorkCity61,700 GBP65,100 GBP27,300-98,000 GBP
AberdeenCity61,700 GBP63,700 GBP31,200-99,400 GBP
PortsmouthCity61,300 GBP65,400 GBP29,600-98,100 GBP
DerryCity60,900 GBP60,900 GBP31,300-91,600 GBP
ExeterCity60,500 GBP63,700 GBP27,400-92,500 GBP
NorwichCity60,000 GBP63,200 GBP29,300-95,000 GBP
BrightonCity59,800 GBP64,900 GBP30,800-94,000 GBP
NewryCity59,700 GBP55,200 GBP29,600-89,900 GBP
DundeeCity59,100 GBP62,500 GBP30,100-93,300 GBP
NewportCity58,800 GBP64,800 GBP25,500-94,500 GBP
SouthamptonCity58,800 GBP58,800 GBP31,200-94,100 GBP
PooleCity58,400 GBP52,300 GBP30,200-90,600 GBP
LincolnCity57,900 GBP54,100 GBP28,900-84,800 GBP
LisburnCity57,900 GBP54,500 GBP27,400-88,600 GBP
HartlepoolCity57,800 GBP56,400 GBP26,100-86,100 GBP
ChesterCity57,400 GBP54,600 GBP28,900-88,600 GBP
WinchesterCity57,200 GBP52,000 GBP31,400-84,600 GBP
ArmaghCity57,200 GBP58,000 GBP25,500-91,000 GBP
CanterburyCity57,100 GBP54,100 GBP28,900-86,100 GBP
DurhamCity57,000 GBP61,300 GBP27,400-88,300 GBP
GloucesterCity56,900 GBP60,000 GBP26,500-91,900 GBP
StirlingCity56,100 GBP51,600 GBP31,300-82,200 GBP
CambridgeCity56,100 GBP56,100 GBP25,800-83,300 GBP
WellsCity55,700 GBP49,700 GBP27,700-82,200 GBP
AbingdonCity54,600 GBP51,500 GBP26,400-81,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion54,500 GBP55,100 GBP29,600-87,500 GBP
WakefieldCity54,300 GBP51,800 GBP26,100-79,800 GBP
WalesRegion53,500 GBP55,500 GBP24,200-86,100 GBP
BangorCity53,500 GBP51,600 GBP29,600-81,600 GBP
St DavidsCity52,000 GBP54,700 GBP25,300-80,300 GBP
RiponCity52,000 GBP56,100 GBP25,400-83,300 GBP
SalisburyCity51,900 GBP54,900 GBP27,600-85,500 GBP
InvernessCity51,900 GBP49,700 GBP27,400-82,200 GBP
StromnessCity49,700 GBP55,200 GBP23,800-78,500 GBP
KirkwallCity49,700 GBP46,700 GBP26,200-78,200 GBP
TruroCity49,700 GBP49,800 GBP27,800-80,200 GBP
StrontianCity49,400 GBP51,300 GBP23,800-78,500 GBP

HSE Professional in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does an HSE professional make per month in United Kingdom?

    An HSE professional in United Kingdom earns about 4,883 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 58,600 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for an HSE professional in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level HSE professionals in United Kingdom start near 26,500 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 86,800 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 36,800 and 73,700 GBP.

  • Is the median HSE professional salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 56,900 GBP, lower than the average of 58,600 GBP. Half of HSE professionals in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for HSE professionals in United Kingdom?

    Men working as an HSE professional in United Kingdom earn around 8% more than women on average (58,500 vs 54,100 GBP a year).

  • Do HSE professionals in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 33% of HSE professionals in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do HSE professionals earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays an HSE professional about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do HSE professionals in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    An HSE professional in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 11% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.