Salary guide · Updated November 2026
Engineering salary guide
Real pay rates from engineering jobs we are recruiting for across the South Coast, so engineers know their worth and employers can set competitive offers.
Average hourly rates per skill
CNC Machining
£20.60 /hr
Machining & Fitting
£15.50 /hr
Welding & Fabrication
£18.50 /hr
Quality & Inspection
£18.60 /hr
Joinery & Woodwork
£22.00 /hr
General & Site Support
£13.88 /hr
Calculated automatically from our live hourly vacancies, using the midpoint of any pay range.
Want a bespoke benchmarking report for your vacancies?
Get in touchEvery figure below comes from a live or recent advert handled by Collide Technical. Actual pay depends on experience, shift pattern and employer, so treat these as a guide rather than a guarantee.
CNC machining
| Role | Location | Advertised pay |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-skilled CNC Miller (Setter/Operator) | Poole | £18.00 per hour |
| CNC Turner (Setter/Operator) | Ferndown | £20.00 per hour |
| CNC Cylindrical Grinder | Lymington | £20.00 per hour |
| Sliding Head Turner | Bournemouth | £21.00 per hour |
| CNC Mill/Turn Level 2 (nights, incl. 30% enhancement) | Poole | £22.10 – £23.40 per hour |
| CNC Miller Programmer (Heidenhain) | New Milton | £24.00 per hour |
| CNC Turner Programmer | Ferndown | £24.00 per hour |
| Barrel Manufacturer (4-day week) | Portsmouth | £17.50 per hour |
Quality and inspection
| Role | Location | Advertised pay |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Inspector (days) | Poole | £17.40 – £20.00 per hour, plus 30% on nights |
| Mechanical Inspector | Ferndown | £18.50 per hour |
| CMM Inspector | Lymington | £45,000 per year |
| Quality Inspector (CMM) | Ferndown | £24.00 per hour |
Finishing, welding and support
| Role | Location | Advertised pay |
|---|---|---|
| Workshop Labourer | Poole | £14.00 – £14.25 per hour |
| Deburrer | Poole / Tewkesbury | £14.00 – £15.00 per hour |
| Honer / Lapper | Poole | £17.00 – £18.00 per hour |
| MIG Welder / Fabricator | New Milton | £18.50 per hour |
Joinery
| Role | Location | Advertised pay |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Cabinet Maker / Joiner | Godalming | £40,000 – £45,000 per year |
Engineering and management
| Role | Location | Advertised pay |
|---|---|---|
| Production Engineer (CNC programming / CAD CAM) | Lymington | Up to £55,000 per year |
| Engineering Estimator | Verwood | £60,000 per year |
| Operations Manager – Manufacturing | Bognor Regis | £70,000 per year |