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Real wage growth

Real-terms growth in average weekly earnings (CPIH-adjusted, total pay), showing whether workers' living standards are rising.

1.1 %
-0.1pp vs 2026-04

As of 2026-05

Historical trend

Trend summary

Real wage growth was 1.1% in 2026-05, down from 1.2% in 2026-04.

Trend

  • Over the available record (2001-03–2026-05), it has ranged from -5.5% in 2009-03 to 6.8% in 2021-06.
  • The latest reading is above the record average of 0.9%.

Context

  • The ONS Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) series covers Great Britain; it is seasonally adjusted and excludes arrears of pay.
  • Real wages deflated by CPIH (which includes housing costs) show a smaller recovery than CPI-deflated measures.

Generated from the published series — describes direction, magnitude and range only, with no editorial judgement or forecasts.

G7 comparison

🇩🇪 Germany
2.8 %
🇺🇸 United States
1.2 %
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
1.1 %
🇫🇷 France
0.9 %
🇯🇵 Japan
-0.5 %

About this indicator

Source
ONS/ OECD
Update frequency
Monthly
Last updated
3 August 2026
Next update
3 September 2026
Licence
OGL v3
Direction
↓ Falling

Statistics

Latest
1.1 %
Period high
1.2 %
Period low
0.5 %
Period average
0.8 %