In the UK, total average weekly earnings including bonuses rose by 4.1% year‑on‑year to GBP 753 in the three months to April 2026. This matched the upwardly revised pace recorded in the previous period and came in slightly above market expectations of 4.0%. It also remained the fastest rate of growth since the three months to November 2025.
In the private sector, wage growth edged down to 4.2% from 4.3%, easing from what had been the strongest increase since the three months to September 2025. By contrast, public sector pay growth accelerated to 5.2% from 4.9%, recovering from its weakest pace since late 2024.
After adjusting for inflation, total earnings rose by 1.2%, up from 1.1% in the three months to March, marking the fastest real wage growth since the three months to April 2025.
