How big is the regional gap?
Smaller than most people think. The middle electrician in London earns about £45,600 a year. In Wales it is about £39,200. That is a gap of roughly £6,400, or about 16 per cent. Everywhere else sits between those two points. The UK median is £41,800, with the middle half of electricians on between £33,100 and £51,300.
The spread inside one region is far wider than the spread between regions. In London the lower quarter starts around £36,200 and the top quarter goes past £56,100. Your grade, your sector and how much overtime you do will shift your pay more than your postcode does.
London and the South East against the North, Scotland and Wales
London leads, then the East at a £43,900 median. The South East and Scotland both sit at £43,600. Scotland matches the South East, so it is wrong to lump it in with the lower-paid regions.
The North East is close to the UK figure at £41,000. The North West and Yorkshire and The Humber are both at £40,400. The West Midlands is at £40,500 and the East Midlands at £40,200. The South West, at £39,700, and Wales, at £39,200, sit at the bottom. Living costs are also lower in most of those areas, so the gap you actually feel can be smaller than the headline figure.
What the agreed rates say about region
The JIB agreement covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and it has only two pay zones. One is the national rate. The other is the London rate, which applies inside the M25. From 5 January 2026 a JIB electrician on job employed, transport provided, gets £18.38 an hour nationally and £20.58 an hour in the London zone. That works out to about £35,841 and £40,131 a year on a 37.5-hour week. An approved electrician gets £20.08 nationally and £22.48 in London.
Scotland has its own agreement, run by the SJIB. For 2026 it sets an electrician at £16.95 an hour shop rate and £19.54 travel rate. Both figures are the same as the JIB national shop and own transport rates. So for electricians, the Scottish agreement pays the same hourly base as the national JIB rates. The higher Scottish earnings figure is not explained by the hourly base.
What moves your pay more than location
Grade comes first. Under the JIB, moving from electrician to approved electrician adds £1.70 an hour, and technician adds more again. Approved electricians who supervise other operatives can get responsibility money of 50p to £2.00 an hour under both the JIB and the SJIB.
Next comes how you get to site. JIB pay is set out for shop employed, transport provided and own transport, and own transport pays the most. London rates also count for overtime, shift premiums and holiday pay. If a London-based firm sends you outside the M25, you can keep the London rate for a time. That applies once you have worked from a London shop for at least 12 weeks.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Ranges are the 25th to 75th percentile from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), moved to the current year with a wage index; regional figures are modelled. Grade, sector, overtime and travel arrangements move pay more than region. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- JIB national electrician rate£18.38 an hour on job employed, transport provided, from 5 January 2026. On a 37.5-hour week that is about £35,841 a year.
- JIB London electrician rate£20.58 an hour, transport provided, for work inside and including the M25. That is about £40,131 a year on a 37.5-hour week.
- JIB approved electrician£20.08 an hour nationally and £22.48 in the London zone, transport provided, from 5 January 2026.
- SJIB electrician (Scotland)From 5 January 2026, £16.95 an hour shop rate and £19.54 an hour travel rate. An SJIB approved electrician gets £18.61 shop rate and £21.19 travel rate.
- Northern IrelandOur regional earnings data has no Northern Ireland figure. JIB rates still apply to firms that follow the JIB agreement there, because it covers Northern Ireland.
Across the UK
| London | JIB London rates apply to jobs inside and including the M25. They count for all paid hours, including overtime, shift premiums and holidays. |
|---|---|
| Rest of England | JIB national standard rates apply. There is no separate agreed rate for the South East, the North or the Midlands. |
| Wales | Covered by the JIB at national standard rates. Apprentices get one hourly rate, whether they are at work or at college. |
| Scotland | The SJIB sets its own rates. For 2026 its electrician shop and travel rates match the JIB national shop and own transport rates. |
| Northern Ireland | Covered by the JIB agreement at national standard rates. We hold no regional earnings figure for Northern Ireland. |
How to get there
- Years 1-4ApprenticeJIB at-work rates in 2026 run from £8.16 an hour at stage 1 to £14.03 at stage 4 nationally. In London they run from £9.14 to £15.72.
- After qualifyingElectrician£18.38 an hour nationally or £20.58 in the London zone, transport provided.
- With experience and extra qualificationsApproved electrician£20.08 an hour nationally or £22.48 in London. Supervisors can get responsibility money on top.
- Senior gradeTechnician£22.70 an hour nationally or £25.47 in London, transport provided, from January 2026.
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Questions people ask
Where do electricians earn the most in the UK?
London, where median pay is about £45,600 a year. Next come the East of England at £43,900, then the South East and Scotland, both at £43,600.
Where is electrician pay lowest?
Wales has the lowest median, at about £39,200 a year, followed by the South West at £39,700. The East Midlands, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber are all close behind, at a little over £40,000.
Is there a London weighting for electricians?
Yes. The JIB sets separate London rates for jobs inside and including the M25. For 2026 a JIB electrician gets £20.58 an hour there, against £18.38 nationally, with transport provided.
Do Scottish electricians get paid differently?
Scotland has its own agreement, set by the SJIB. For 2026 an SJIB electrician gets £16.95 an hour shop rate and £19.54 travel rate, the same as the matching JIB national rates. Survey earnings in Scotland are still above the UK median, at about £43,600.
Is there pay data for Northern Ireland?
Our regional earnings figures do not cover Northern Ireland, so we do not give one. The JIB agreement covers Northern Ireland, so its national standard rates apply at firms that follow it.
