Office for National Statistics figures show annual regular wage growth unchanged from the previous period, while total pay including bonuses came in at 4.3 per cent.
Regular pay across Great Britain grew 3.4 per cent year-on-year in the three months to May 2026, the Office for National Statistics confirmed — unchanged from the three months to April 2026. Total pay, which includes bonuses, came in at 4.3 per cent over the same period, according to ONS data.
The figures show that nominal wage growth is running only fractionally ahead of inflation. Real regular pay growth in the three months to April 2026 was just 0.1 per cent when measured against CPIH, and 0.3 per cent using CPI — meaning most workers are seeing very modest gains in actual purchasing power despite the positive headline numbers.
The gap between public and private sector pay is widening. ONS data for the three months to April 2026 show public sector annual earnings growth at around 5.1 per cent, compared with roughly 2.9 to 3.0 per cent in the private sector. For Kent, that split matters: NHS and social care staff — whose pay settlements apply across Kent and Medway — are likely among the stronger earners, while workers in finance and insurance firms in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells are sitting closer to the 1.8 per cent median pay growth ONS recorded for that sector in May 2026.
Job vacancies tell a cooling story. UK vacancies in March–May 2026 fell to around 707,000 — the lowest level since early 2021 — which can translate into fewer openings in Kent’s key sectors including logistics around the Port of Dover, hospitality, and retail. The UK unemployment rate edged down to 4.9 per cent in the three months to April 2026, from 5.0 per cent in the previous period, so the market is softening rather than collapsing.
Median monthly pay, tracked through PAYE Real Time Information, grew 4.6 per cent year-on-year in May 2026 — faster than the average weekly earnings measure for regular pay, though ONS notes these early estimates are subject to revision.
The Bank of England, currently holding Bank Rate at 3.75 per cent, watches wage data closely as a gauge of domestic inflation pressure. At 3.4 per cent, regular pay growth is at what some analysts describe as the weakest rate since the three months to October 2020 — a direction of travel that may give policymakers more confidence, but offers limited comfort to Kent households still facing high housing and transport costs on near-flat real wages.
Source: @ONS