UK Wage Growth Steady at 3.4%

2026-07-21 06:12 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

UK regular pay, excluding bonuses, increased 3.4% year-on-year to GBP 699 per week in the three months to May 2026, matching the pace seen in the previous two periods and meeting market expectations.

However, it remained the weakest annual growth since the three months to October 2020.

Private sector wage growth eased slightly to 2.9% from 3.0%, the slowest since the three months to October 2020.

Meanwhile, public sector pay accelerated to 5.5% from 5.1%, marking the strongest increase since the three months to January.

By industry, wages rose in wholesale, retail, hotels and restaurants (3.6%), manufacturing (2.8%), services (3.7%), and finance and business services (2.3%), but declined in construction (-0.2%).

After adjusting for inflation, real regular pay increased 0.3%, up from 0.1% in the prior two periods and the strongest growth since the three months to January.



News Stream
UK Wage Growth Steady at 3.4%
UK regular pay, excluding bonuses, increased 3.4% year-on-year to GBP 699 per week in the three months to May 2026, matching the pace seen in the previous two periods and meeting market expectations. However, it remained the weakest annual growth since the three months to October 2020. Private sector wage growth eased slightly to 2.9% from 3.0%, the slowest since the three months to October 2020. Meanwhile, public sector pay accelerated to 5.5% from 5.1%, marking the strongest increase since the three months to January. By industry, wages rose in wholesale, retail, hotels and restaurants (3.6%), manufacturing (2.8%), services (3.7%), and finance and business services (2.3%), but declined in construction (-0.2%). After adjusting for inflation, real regular pay increased 0.3%, up from 0.1% in the prior two periods and the strongest growth since the three months to January.
2026-07-21
UK Wage Growth Tops Forecasts
Regular pay in the UK, excluding bonuses, rose 3.4% year-on-year to GBP 697 per week in the three months to April 2026, matching March's pace while exceeding market expectations of 3.2%. It remained the weakest increase since the three months to October 2020, with private sector wages slowing to 2.9% from 3.1%, the lowest since the three months to October 2020. Meanwhile, public sector pay accelerated to 5.1% from the prior 4.8%, which had been the softest since late 2024. By industry, annual gains were seen in wholesale, retail, hotels, and restaurants (3.5%), manufacturing (3.1%), services (3.6%), and finance and business services (2.5%), but declined for construction (-0.7%). Adjusted for inflation, real wages edged up 0.1% in the three months to April, keeping the same pace as in the previous period and staying at the lowest level since mid-2023.
2026-06-18
UK Wage Growth Slows to Over 5-Year Low
Regular pay in the UK, excluding bonuses, rose 3.4% year-on-year to GBP 693 per week in the three months to March 2026, easing from a 3.6% growth in the previous period and matching market expectations. It was the weakest increase since the three months to October 2020, with private sector wages slowing to 3.0% from 3.2%, the lowest since the three months to October 2020. Also, public sector pay moderated to 4.8% from the prior 5.2%, the softest since late 2024. By industry, annual gains were seen in wholesale, retail, hotels, and restaurants (3.6%), manufacturing (3.2%), services (3.6%), and finance and business services (2.4%), but declined for construction (-0.6%). Adjusted for inflation, real wages edged up 0.1% in the three months to March, after a 0.2% gain in the previous period, the lowest since mid-2023.
2026-05-19