UK Wage Growth Above Estimates

2026-08-18 06:12 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

UK regular pay, excluding bonuses, increased 3.5% year-on-year to GBP 703 per week in the three months to June 2026, following growth in the previous two periods of 3.4%, which was in line with market expectations.

It was the fastest annual rise since the three months to February, as public sector pay accelerated to 6.1% from 5.5%, marking the strongest increase since the three months to December 2025.

Meanwhile, private sector wage growth eased slightly to 2.8% from 2.9%, the slowest since the three months to October 2020.

By industry, wages rose in wholesale, retail, hotels and restaurants (3.5%), manufacturing (2.8%), services (3.8%), and finance and business services (2.3%), but declined in construction (-0.1%).

After adjusting for inflation, real regular pay increased 0.5%, up from 0.3% in the prior period and pointing to the strongest growth since the three months to December 2025.



News Stream
UK Wage Growth Above Estimates
UK regular pay, excluding bonuses, increased 3.5% year-on-year to GBP 703 per week in the three months to June 2026, following growth in the previous two periods of 3.4%, which was in line with market expectations. It was the fastest annual rise since the three months to February, as public sector pay accelerated to 6.1% from 5.5%, marking the strongest increase since the three months to December 2025. Meanwhile, private sector wage growth eased slightly to 2.8% from 2.9%, the slowest since the three months to October 2020. By industry, wages rose in wholesale, retail, hotels and restaurants (3.5%), manufacturing (2.8%), services (3.8%), and finance and business services (2.3%), but declined in construction (-0.1%). After adjusting for inflation, real regular pay increased 0.5%, up from 0.3% in the prior period and pointing to the strongest growth since the three months to December 2025.
2026-08-18
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