Provisional annual survey estimates released on 22 October put full-time employees’ median weekly earnings in the UK at £811.20 in April 2026. The figure was 5.8% higher than a year earlier in cash terms and 2.7% higher after adjustment for inflation. London recorded the strongest regional growth, at 8.2%.
The figures describe the middle point of earnings, not the average wage received by every worker. They relate to full-time employee jobs and the pay period containing 22 April 2026. The annual survey measures actual pay reported by employers and the hours on which that pay was based. Its estimates cover jobs rather than people, although the distinction is limited in practice: the statistical office says 97% of employees held one job in April.
What the headline figure means
The median is the point at which half of observations are higher and half are lower. It is different from a mean, which can be pulled upwards by a relatively small number of very high earners. The £811.20 figure is gross weekly pay for full-time employee jobs, rather than take-home pay after tax and other deductions.
In April 2025, the corresponding median was £766.60. The increase to £811.20 represents a 5.8% rise before inflation is taken into account. After adjusting for the change in consumer prices using the measure that includes owner-occupiers’ housing costs, the increase was 2.7% in real terms. The nominal and real percentages therefore describe different comparisons: one is the change in pounds, while the other accounts for price changes.
Other working patterns showed different movements. Median weekly earnings for part-time employee jobs rose by 2.9% in nominal terms over the year, but fell by 0.1% after the same inflation adjustment. Across all employee jobs, the median increased by 4.9%. The lower overall rate partly reflects a higher share of part-time jobs in the April 2026 data and a small reduction in average paid hours worked by part-time employees.
London led regional growth
London had the highest annual increase in median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees among the UK regions and countries, at 8.2%. The increase was not solely a measure of pay changes for the same workers in the same roles. A larger proportion of professional jobs in London compared with the previous year contributed to the movement.
Across all major occupational groups, industries and regions, full-time median earnings increased over the year. The lowest regional growth rates were recorded in the East Midlands, at 4.0%, and the North West, at 4.1%. These figures also describe changes in group medians and should not be read as a direct account of every individual worker’s pay rise.
Provisional figures and workforce changes
The 2026 estimates are provisional. They are due to be revised when final results are published in October 2027 under the annual revision process. The statistical office collected information from employers for a sample of employee jobs, using tax records to identify current employers. The achieved sample for 2026 was 197,000, its largest recorded size.
Survey estimates can move because wages change, but they can also shift when the mix of workers and jobs changes. The composition of both the overall workforce and the survey sample affects the results. That is one reason the 8.2% London increase, like the UK-wide rates, should not be interpreted as the amount every employee received in a pay rise.
The survey’s full-time definition is more than 30 paid hours a week, or at least 25 hours for teachers. Its weekly-pay comparisons include employee jobs on adult rates where pay was unaffected by absence. The reference pay period falls in April, but the exact date varies from year to year; in 2026 it included 22 April, while the 2025 period included 30 April. Seasonal differences and the timing of Easter can also affect employers’ reported survey data.
The results offer a detailed snapshot of pay across occupations, industries and places, but they are not interchangeable with measures based on all jobs or monthly payroll records. The headline median is best understood as a provisional estimate for full-time employee jobs in a particular April pay period, with inflation and workforce composition both relevant to interpreting its change.
