Metric permalink
Real average weekly earnings growth
Part of the Living Standards domain. Year-on-year real-terms growth in average weekly earnings (regular pay, excluding bonuses), indicating whether typical pay is keeping pace with inflation.
Latest data
Latest reading
2026
Change between the two latest observations (2025 to 2026), in stress score.
A lower reading is treated as worse for this indicator.
Score composition
Stress score
Since the September 2026 release
What changed on this indicator between the two releases: value revised, history restated.
Blended from two measured components: (2/3 weight) and trend (1/3 weight); where no trend can be computed the metric is scored on its level alone. Volatility is published as a diagnostic and does not enter the blend. Full formula on the methodology page.
Level · 2/3 weight
Percentile: this metric is scored against its own history, where today sits between its best and worst recorded years.
Trend · 1/3 weight
Measured from the direction and size of the change between the two most recent readings.
Volatility · diagnostic, not blended
100Measured from how much this indicator has swung period on period across its recorded history.
Data confidence and provenance
Confidence and source
How much weight to put on the reading, the mean data-confidence across the component metrics (source quality, recency and completeness).
Source
Labour market overview
- Update frequency
- Monthly
- Reliability
- medium
Provenance
- Provider
- ONS
- Series ID
- A2F9/EMP
- Frequency
- monthly
- Accessed
- 1 October 2026
Known weakness
Average weekly earnings is a mean (not a median) and covers Great Britain only; the real-terms figure depends on the chosen inflation deflator.
Notes
Verified official value from ONS (A2F9/EMP), accessed 2026-10-01.
Historical values
History
| Period | Value | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1.6 | |
| 2008 | 0.1 | |
| 2009 | -0.7 | |
| 2010 | -1.2 | |
| 2011 | -1.6 | |
| 2012 | -1.2 | |
| 2013 | -0.7 | |
| 2014 | 0.7 | |
| 2015 | 1.5 | |
| 2016 | 0.5 | |
| 2017 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1.3 | |
| 2019 | 1.8 | |
| 2020 | 3.5 | |
| 2021 | -0.9 | |
| 2022 | -2.4 | |
| 2023 | 1.9 | |
| 2024 | 2.4 | |
| 2025 | 0.3 | |
| 2026 | 0.6 |