Average weekly earnings in Great Britain January 2026

21st January 2026

The following information is for the period from September to November 2025.

Annual growth in employees' average earnings was 4.5% for regular earnings (excluding bonuses) and 4.7% for total earnings (including bonuses).

Annual growth in real terms, adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH), was 0.6% for regular pay and 0.8% for total pay.

Using the Consumer Prices Index excluding owner occupiers' housing costs (CPI) to adjust for inflation, annual growth in real terms was 0.9% for regular pay and 1.1% for total pay.

Annual average regular earnings growth was 7.9% for the public sector and 3.6% for the private sector; however, the public sector annual growth rate is affected by some public sector pay rises being paid earlier in 2025 than in 2024, causing a base effect which has now reached its peak and will phase out over the next three months.

After the public sector, the wholesaling, retailing, hotels and restaurants sector showed the strongest regular annual growth rate.

Read the full ONS report HERE