Salaries and costs
Wigan pay rates stay competitive for Greater Manchester, with warehouse operatives often paid £11 to £13 per hour for day shifts and more for nights or weekends, and maintenance engineers landing £35,000 to £45,000 depending on bias and shift cover, and production supervisors typically sitting between £30,000 and £38,000 with overtime or shift premiums on top, and agency costs vary by volume, notice, and shift pattern, with temp to perm packages common for industrial teams that want to test fit before committing, and executive search fees for plant leadership tend to use a percentage model with staged payments that mirror milestones agreed with recruitment consultants and the hiring manager.
Qualifications
Agencies in Wigan often ask for forklift tickets such as RTITB or ITSSAR, a current CSCS card for civils linked roles, or an NVQ in process operations or engineering maintenance, and food and drink sites look for Level 2 food hygiene and HACCP awareness, and basic first aid or manual handling certificates add weight for high volume picks, and for multi skilled engineers, a recognised apprenticeship with 17th or 18th Edition helps, with PLC fault finding competence a clear plus for automated lines across the borough.
Regional or geographic variations
Hiring in Wigan draws from Orrell, Standish, Hindley, Leigh, and Skelmersdale, with strong commuter links on the M6, M58, and M61, and rail from Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate bringing candidates from Liverpool and Manchester, and sites around Martland Park, Lamberhead Green Industrial Estate, Westwood Park, Miry Lane, and Kitt Green often need flexible shift cover, so recruiters tune adverts to catch people across early and late patterns, and school run friendly shifts near town can draw jobseekers who would not travel to Trafford or Warrington.
Local hiring challenges
Night shift cover and short notice backfills remain tricky during peak projects, and food manufacturers will guard against high attrition on repetitive tasks, and employers near the M6 can lose staff to logistics hubs when pay rates rise, so agencies build pools of pre referenced workers who live within a reasonable commute and who can switch to four on four off or weekends, and executive search briefs face a small pool for senior ops in the local labour market, so recruiters widen the map up the West Coast Main Line for plant management and CI leadership.
Key sectors or employers in the region
Food production, packaging, plastics, and third party logistics set the pace, and fabrication and light engineering add steady orders, and industrial recruiters keep close to suppliers around Martland Park and Kitt Green, and distribution centres near Junctions 25 to 27 of the M6 keep a constant need for pickers, FLT drivers, inventory controllers, and first line leaders, and this mix suits agencies that can switch between volume temp support and targeted permanent search for maintenance and quality roles.
Roles and career paths
Recruitment agencies and staffing agencies place warehouse operatives, FLT drivers, machine operators, assemblers, production operatives, QC techs, line leaders, maintenance technicians, and HGV yard marshals, and many candidates step from picker to team leader, then shift supervisor, with pathways into planning or health and safety, and engineers can grow into reliability or projects, and strong operators can move into setting and then into multi skilled roles through in house training or day release, and recruitment consultants can map these steps with realistic timeframes.
Temporary, permanent, and contract work
Temp agencies cover seasonal peaks for food and packaging, and contract work fits shutdowns or installs with weekly timesheets and clear day rates, and permanent hiring suits roles with long learning curves such as maintenance, CI, and planning, and employers often start with temp to perm, then confirm fit at 12 or 16 weeks, and candidates like the faster start on temps, while businesses gain the chance to test punctuality, output, and safety mindset before making an offer.
Salaries, pay rates, recruitment fees, agency costs
Pay rates change with shift, site rules, and skills, and night premia and weekend uplifts are common, and agencies will price volume bookings for pick, pack, and loading, with lower fees for on site teams or longer assignments, and permanent recruitment fees use a fixed percent or a banded model with free replacement for a set period, and executive search for plant managers and heads of operations uses staged fees tied to shortlist and offer, and clarity on timesheets, PPE, and inductions reduces hidden costs for both sides.
Regulatory or compliance standards
Sites in Wigan expect strict RTW checks, AWR tracking for temps, and accurate payroll set up, and food and drink plants add allergen control points and hygiene rules, and logistics hubs will want DVLA checks for shunters and licence checks for FLT, and risk assessments for manual handling and lone working need to sit in the induction pack, and DBS checks may appear for certain public sector linked contracts, with training records kept on file by the employment firm and shared with the client when requested.
Hard to fill positions
Multi skilled maintenance with strong electrical bias and PLC fault find sits firmly on the hard to fill list, and experienced quality managers with BRCGS exposure are in short supply, and shift managers for high output packing lines can be tough to secure due to weekend and night cover, and agencies use executive search for these roles, with salary benchmarking and candidate briefings that set expectations on shifts, call outs, and bonuses that link to OEE or waste targets.
Market snapshots
Wigan benefits from Manchester and Liverpool labour pools, yet pay gaps can pull talent south on certain weeks, and firms near the rail stations can attract candidates who do not drive, and electric van fleets and later deliveries are pushing twilight shifts up the agenda, and lean and CI knowledge is spreading beyond engineering into warehouse leadership, which helps retention when people see a route to progress.
Quick facts and frequently asked questions
Do industrial agencies in Wigan cover both temp and perm hiring?
Yes, most industrial recruitment agencies in Wigan place temporary, permanent, and contract staff across the warehouse, manufacturing, and logistics sectors.
What documents should a candidate bring to register with an agency?
Photo ID, proof of address, right to work evidence, and any licences such as FLT or CSCS.
Can agencies help with executive search for plant leadership?
Yes, recruitment firms in Wigan partner on plant manager, operations lead, and head of engineering searches, with staged fees and clear milestones.
How soon can a temp start on site?
Once right-to-work checks, site induction, and PPE are confirmed, many agencies can place a temp within 24 to 72 hours.
Do agencies support sites in Standish, Hindley, and Leigh?
Yes, recruiters serve local employers across these areas, with transport plans set around the M6, M58, M61, and the two Wigan stations.
How do employers manage retention in repetitive roles?
Mix clear training paths with small skill-band uplifts and cross-training, and use agency partners to rotate shifts fairly and reduce burnout.
What are typical agency notice periods for cancelling shifts?
Most contracts require a set notice window before the start time, and late cancellations may incur a short-notice charge to cover scheduled workers.
Can job seekers move from temp to perm quickly?
Yes, many sites run temp-to-perm routes at 12 to 16 weeks, and strong attendance, output, and safety records help secure an offer.