Average Earnings: Key Economic Indicators

This document focuses on standard official sources. For more timely data on the labour market see Library paper Coronavirus: Impact on the labour market.

In April 2020 median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in the UK were £586, around the same as in April 2019. Adjusted for inflation, median earnings for full-time employees decreased by 0.8%.

Timelier but less detailed data show average weekly earnings for all employees in Great Britain increased by 4.1% excluding bonuses in the three months to December 2020 compared with the previous year. Average weekly pay including bonuses increased by 4.7%.

Inflation as measured by the CPI averaged 0.6% over the same period. After adjusting for inflation, average weekly earnings excluding bonuses were 3.5% higher than the previous year and average pay including bonuses were 4.1% higher.

Trends by Sector

Average weekly total pay (including bonuses) rose by 4.6% in the private sector and grew by 4.3% in the public sector in the three months to December 2020 compared with the year before.

Pay Levels

Median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) were £15.07 for full-time employees at April 2020: £15.53 for men working full-time and £14.37 for women.

Median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) were £10.39 for part-time employees; £10.16 for men and £10.46 for women. Women are more likely than men to work part-time.

The median is the point at which half earn more and half earn less.