UK Payroll Employment Falls 13K in July

2026-08-18 06:09 By Judith Sib-at 1 min. read

The number of payrolled employees in the UK fell by 13 thousand to 30.3 million in July 2026, following a revised 13 thousand decline in the previous month.

This marked the sixth straight monthly decline, reflecting employers’ cautious approach to hiring amid increased uncertainty both domestically and internationally.

Compared with a year earlier, employment dropped by 0.3%, or 94 thousand.

The wholesale and retail sector registered the largest annual decrease in payroll employment, shedding 75 thousand jobs, while the administrative and support services sector posted the biggest increase, adding 63 thousand employees.

Across NUTS3 regions, Camden and the City of London saw a 1.8% drop in payrolled employees, whereas Mid Ulster recorded a 1.5% rise.

Meanwhile, median monthly pay rose by 4.2% year-on-year to £2,642, easing slightly from a 4.3% increase in June.

Growth in median pay was highest in the health and social work sector (+5.3%) and lowest in the education sector (+3.3%).



News Stream
UK Payroll Employment Falls 13K in July
The number of payrolled employees in the UK fell by 13 thousand to 30.3 million in July 2026, following a revised 13 thousand decline in the previous month. This marked the sixth straight monthly decline, reflecting employers’ cautious approach to hiring amid increased uncertainty both domestically and internationally. Compared with a year earlier, employment dropped by 0.3%, or 94 thousand. The wholesale and retail sector registered the largest annual decrease in payroll employment, shedding 75 thousand jobs, while the administrative and support services sector posted the biggest increase, adding 63 thousand employees. Across NUTS3 regions, Camden and the City of London saw a 1.8% drop in payrolled employees, whereas Mid Ulster recorded a 1.5% rise. Meanwhile, median monthly pay rose by 4.2% year-on-year to £2,642, easing slightly from a 4.3% increase in June. Growth in median pay was highest in the health and social work sector (+5.3%) and lowest in the education sector (+3.3%).
2026-08-18
UK Payroll Employment Down 4K in June
The number of payrolled employees in the UK decreased by 4 thousand to 30.3 million in June 2026, following an upwardly revised increase of 3 thousand in May. Compared with a year earlier, employment fell by 0.2%, or 71 thousand, reflecting continued weakness in hiring. The accommodation and food service sector recorded the biggest annual decline in payroll employment, shedding 79,000 jobs, whereas the health and social work sector recorded the largest increase, adding 39,000 employees. Across NUTS3 regions, Westminster experienced a 2.0% drop in payrolled employees, while Mid Ulster recorded 2.1% growth. Meanwhile, median monthly pay rose by 4.3% year-on-year to £2,632, easing from a 4.6% increase in May. Growth in median pay was highest in the health and social work sector (+6.2%) and lowest in the education sector (+3.5%).
2026-07-21
UK Payroll Employment Rises 2K in May
The number of payrolled employees in the UK rose by 2 thousand to 30.3 million in May 2026, after a revised 53 thousand drop in April. This marked the first monthly increase following three consecutive months of declines due to the Middle East fuel shock. On an annual basis, employment fell by 0.4%, or 119 thousand. The largest decrease was seen in the accommodation and food service activities sector (-80 thousand), while the administrative and support services sector recorded the largest increase (+34 thousand). Across NUTS3 regions, Westminster posted a 2.3% decline in payrolled employees, whereas Mid Ulster registered a 1.9% increase. Meanwhile, the median monthly pay grew by 4.6% from a year earlier to £2,626. Growth in median pay was highest in the health and social work sector (+7.0%) and lowest in the finance and insurance sector (+1.8%).
2026-06-18