HGV and logistics driving in East Midlands
Forklift operator jobs in Derby
Derby has 1,000 employee jobs in warehousing and storage, on the most recent business survey. Below are the published figures for the area, and every advert on this site for the role right now.
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Forklift operator jobs in Derby
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Published figures for Derby
What the official data says about Derby
Forklift work is counted inside warehousing and storage, which comes to 1,000 employee jobs in Derby, from 138,000 employee jobs across the area.
That count covers whole sites rather than truck types, so counterbalance on the bays, reach in the racking and VNA in the narrow aisles are all inside it, together with the picking most operators also do. Freight, warehousing and courier work together make up 1.2% of employment in Derby.
Median full-time pay in Derby was £41,924 a year in 2025 across all occupations combined. Forklift work is not published separately at this level, so treat that as area context and read the rate on the advert.
UK Business Counts recorded 25 warehousing and storage sites in Derby at the March 2025 reference date, 10 of them employing ten people or more. 15 of them, 60%, employ under ten, well below the usual share. Large sites use the full range of truck types, so a ticket beyond counterbalance is worth more here.
Of the warehousing and storage employee jobs the 2024 survey splits by hours in Derby, 50 are part time, 4.8% of the split. The middle across the East Midlands is 10.8%, so Derby sits below it, 10th of 10 areas on this measure. Nearly all of the split is full time, which on forklift work generally means a fixed shift rather than cover.
Two further counts round out the Derby picture: 600 employee jobs in freight transport by road, and 60 employee jobs in postal and courier activities.
Measured on employee jobs across freight, warehousing and courier work, Derby ranks 9th of the 10 areas in the East Midlands. The middle across the East Midlands is 8,770, against 1,660 in Derby. Across the 153 areas in England the middle is 2,975. Next to Derby in that order sit Nottingham at 1,740 and Rutland at 300.
On the separate business register count of warehousing and storage sites, Derby ranks 9th of the 10 areas in the East Midlands. The middle across the East Midlands is 110, against 25 in Derby. Across the 153 areas in England the middle is 35. Next to Derby in that order sit Leicester at 35 and Rutland at 10.
None of these counts is a vacancy figure. They describe 1,000 jobs across 25 warehousing sites as the surveys found them in Derby, and the live list above is what is open now.
- Employee jobs in warehousing and storage
- 1,000
- Employee jobs in the area, all industries
- 138,000
- Median full-time pay across all jobs in the area
- £41,924
- Warehousing and storage sites
- 25
- Warehousing sites employing under 10
- 15
- Part-time share of warehousing and storage jobs
- 4.8%
- Freight, warehousing and courier work, share of all employee jobs
- 1.2%
The forklift operator role
Forklift work is moving pallets safely in a building full of people doing other things. Counterbalance in the yard and on loading bays, reach truck in the racking, VNA in narrow aisles at height.
Forklift operator jobs in Derby: common questions
How big is the logistics sector in Derby?
The 2024 Business Register and Employment Survey counted 600 employee jobs in freight transport by road in Derby and 1,000 in warehousing and storage, spread across 430 freight, warehousing and courier workplaces on the 2025 business register. Those are jobs and workplaces that exist in the area, not jobs being advertised.
What does a forklift operator earn in Derby?
There is no published pay figure for this role in Derby: earnings are not broken down by occupation at local authority level anywhere in the official statistics, so anybody quoting one has estimated it. What is published is the size of the trade here, 25 warehousing and storage sites, and each of them sets its own rates. Every advert on this page carries its own rate.
Is forklift operator work in Derby full time or part time?
Part-time hours account for 4.8% of the warehousing and storage jobs counted either way in Derby, 50 of them. Nothing published says how the live adverts divide, so read the hours on each one.
Do I need experience to apply for forklift operator jobs in Derby?
A current forklift certificate for the truck type, such as counterbalance or reach. Employers often accept RTITB or ITSSAR accredited training. No formal school qualifications needed. Each advert in Derby sets out what that employer asks for.