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Picking and packing shifts around Birmingham come up constantly, especially through peak. WSUK tells you the site, the shift and the actual pick target before you accept — then pays you weekly through PAYE, with no fee to you.
Picker packer jobs around Birmingham involve selecting items from racking against an order, usually to an RF scanner or voice headset, then packing them for despatch. No experience is needed and training is given on shift. WSUK places pickers and packers near Birmingham at £12.71—£14.25 an hour, more on nights, paid weekly through PAYE. It never costs you anything to apply.
As the UK's second city, Birmingham anchors the West Midlands logistics network and sits at the meeting point of the M6, M5, M42 and M40, with the M6 threading through Junction 6 at Spaghetti Junction. Long-established industrial estates at Tyseley, Witton, Nechells, Aston and Erdington host manufacturing, recycling and urban-fulfilment operations, while newer big-box parks such as Prologis Midpoint, Peddimore and the Hams Hall Distribution Park on the city's north-eastern edge draw major 3PL and e-commerce occupiers. Hams Hall's rail freight terminal links the region to the deep-sea ports. Ringed by Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton and firmly inside the Golden Triangle, Birmingham gives national retailers and carriers dense last-mile coverage alongside large-scale regional distribution.
A conurbation this size runs on a constant churn of temporary labour: retail and parcel peaks, contract mobilisations, product launches and day-to-day absence all open gaps that must be filled quickly. WSUK supplies temporary warehouse and forklift teams — pickers, packers, loaders, goods-in/out operatives and counterbalance, reach and PPT truck drivers — inducted and ready for Birmingham's fast-moving sites. We manage vetting, right-to-work verification, PAYE payroll and working-time compliance, so every worker arrives cleared and legal. As volumes rise and fall across the year, we flex headcount up for peaks and back down afterwards, giving city operators a responsive workforce instead of carrying fixed overhead.
It is straightforward work but it is measured and it is physical. Here is what the three parts of it actually involve so you can decide before you start.
The scanner sends you to a location, you confirm the item by barcode, take the quantity and it routes you onward. Accuracy is checked automatically, so a mis-pick is visible immediately.
A headset reads locations to you and you speak back a check digit, which keeps both hands free. Batch and wave picking means collecting several orders in one pass.
Packing to a written spec, choosing the right box, protecting fragile items, labelling and manifesting. Accuracy beats speed here because a packing error becomes a return.
WSUK covers Birmingham city-wide — Tyseley, Witton, Aston, Nechells, Erdington and the big-shed parks around Hams Hall and Spaghetti Junction — plus Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. From a single counterbalance driver for a night shift to a full multi-shift picking operation, we mobilise vetted temporary warehouse and forklift staff quickly right across the M6 and M42 catchment.
Nearly every site sets a target and most new starters take a week or two to reach it. A typical ambient site expects somewhere around 80—150 lines an hour once you are up to speed, but it varies enormously with the product, the layout and whether you are picking singles or cases. We will tell you the actual number for a site before you accept the shift, and whether there is a bonus attached to beating it.
Indicative PAYE rates as a guide — actual pay varies by shift, experience and site, with premiums for nights, weekends and bank holidays. Every rate we advertise is at or above the National Living Wage.
| Role | Indicative pay |
|---|---|
| Picker (days) | £12.71–£13.75 / hr |
| Packer (days) | £12.71–£13.75 / hr |
| Picker / Packer (nights) | £13.50–£15.00 / hr |
| RF Scanner Picker | £12.71–£14.25 / hr |
| Pick Team Leader | £14.00–£16.50 / hr |
Picking and packing suits people who would rather be moving than sitting, who want to start quickly, and who do not mind work that is counted.
Pick-rate targets are the single biggest reason people leave a warehouse job in week one. We would rather tell you the number upfront.
From application to your first shift, with the checks and the payroll handled for you.
Tell us your licence, tickets and which shifts you can actually work.
A named consultant calls within 2 working hours to talk through what fits.
Right-to-work, references and the site induction handled before you start.
Start on shift, then paid weekly through PAYE with holiday accrued.
They peak sharply. Sites around Birmingham take on the most pickers and packers between September and January for the Q4 retail peak, and again around promotional events. There is steady year-round work too, but if you want volume of hours, peak is when it is there.
It varies by site and product — commonly somewhere around 80—150 lines an hour on ambient work once you are trained, with a ramp-up period of a week or two. We will give you the specific target for any Birmingham site before you accept the shift.
You select items from racking against a customer order, then pack them for despatch. Most sites pick to an RF scanner or a voice headset that routes you round the building and confirms each item by barcode or check digit. Packing means boxing the order to a written spec and labelling it.
It depends entirely on the site, the product and whether you are picking singles, cases or pallets. A typical ambient site works to somewhere around 80—150 lines an hour once you are trained, and new starters normally get one to two weeks to get there. We tell you the real number before you accept.
No. It is an entry-level role and training is given on your first shift. You need the right to work in the UK, safety boots and to be comfortable walking and lifting for a full shift.
WSUK serves employers across the Golden Triangle. Explore our other locations.
Tell us which shifts you can work around Birmingham. We will tell you the site, the rate and the pick target before you commit.