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Jobs & pay · Pay and security · Great Britain and UK · 2000–2025

Pay and security: is work paying more?

Average weekly pay after inflation was £528 in 2025, 4.6% above 2007 at 2015 prices — a long fall, then a slow recovery. 25.6% of temporary employees would rather have a permanent job.

Evidence last reviewed 3 October 2026

Real pay since 2000

Pay is shown after inflation, in 2015 prices, so the line measures what a week’s pay can buy. Average weekly earnings were £528 in 2025, against £505 in 2007 — a gain of 4.6% in 18 years. Before 2007 real pay had risen by about that much every couple of years.

Has pay kept up with prices?

Average real pay is 4.6% above 2007, 18 years on

Average weekly earnings including bonuses, whole economy, adjusted for prices using CPIH to 2015 prices, Great Britain, annual averages, 2000–2025.

Great Britain · 2000–2025

1996–2026 displayed window · observations only. Shading marks years outside the displayed record.

£ a week, 2015 pricesNo observations shown£400£450£500£550axis does not start at 02000201020202007: £505£528
Real pay fell for years after the financial crisis, to a low in 2014, recovered slowly, first passed its 2007 level in 2021 (pandemic job losses fell mostly on lower-paid workers, which lifted the average), dipped when inflation spiked in 2022, and is now 4.6% above 2007. Nearly two decades brought little extra buying power on average.

Great Britain · 2000–2025 · Official statistics

Sources, definitions and data — Average real pay is 4.6% above 2007, 18 years on
Geography:
Great Britain — Employees (not the self-employed)
Measure:
£ a week at 2015 prices
Period:
2000–2025
Status:
Official statistics
Calculation:
Annual average of the monthly A3WX series. Real and nominal pay are never compared on this chart.
Compare with:
2007: £505 a week; low £473 in 2014
Not included / breaks:
An average (mean) across employees, pulled up by high earners; says nothing about how pay is distributed, about the self-employed, or about Northern Ireland.

Source: ONS, Average Weekly Earnings in real terms (2015 prices), A3WX. Chart WORK-02c.

View the data as a table
Year£ a week (2015 prices)
2000427
2001442
2002449
2003457
2004471
2005482
2006493
2007505
2008505
2009495
2010494
2011487
2012481
2013475
2014473
2015483
2016490
2017489
2018492
2019500
2020504
2021520
2022512
2023514
2024524
2025528

This is an average across employees, so it is pulled up by high earners and does not show how pay is spread or what has happened to household income after housing costs. Those questions are covered in the economy and cost of living and inequality.

Security: temporary work people did not choose

One long-running survey measure of insecurity is whether temporary employees would rather be permanent. 25.6% say they are temporary because they could not find a permanent job. Zero-hours contracts, agency work and insecure self-employment are measured differently and are not in this chart.

Is temporary work a choice?

25.6% of temporary employees could not find a permanent job

Temporary employees who say they are temporary because they could not find a permanent job, as a percentage of all temporary employees, UK, seasonally adjusted, Mar–May 1992 to May–Jul 2026.

United Kingdom · Mar–May 1992 to May–Jul 2026

1996–2026 displayed window · observations only. Shading marks years outside the displayed record.

Per cent of temporary employees0%20%40%20002010202025.6%
25.6% of temporary employees would rather be permanent. That share was much higher in the 1990s and after the financial crisis, and moves with the labour market: it has risen from its recent low. Insecurity is wider than this one measure, but it is a consistent, long-running signal of whether people are choosing the work they have.

United Kingdom · Mar–May 1992 to May–Jul 2026 · Official statistics, Labour Force Survey

Sources, definitions and data — 25.6% of temporary employees could not find a permanent job
Geography:
United Kingdom — Temporary employees
Measure:
Per cent of temporary employees
Period:
Mar–May 1992 to May–Jul 2026
Status:
Official statistics, Labour Force Survey
Calculation:
As published (YCCI).
Compare with:
Low since 2015: 19.7% (Feb–Apr 2024); high 43.7% (Sep–Nov 1994)
Not included / breaks:
Covers temporary employees only; zero-hours contracts, agency work and self-employment are measured separately and are not in this chart.

Source: ONS, Labour Force Survey: temporary employees who could not find a permanent job (%), YCCI (released 15 September 2026). Chart WORK-09.

View the data as a table
Three months toCould not find permanent (%)
Mar–May 199235.9
Apr–Jun 199236.5
May–Jul 199237.4
Jun–Aug 199239.2
Jul–Sep 199239.7
Aug–Oct 199240.0
Sep–Nov 199238.9
Oct–Dec 199238.9
Nov–Jan 199339.8
Dec–Feb 199339.9
Jan–Mar 199340.4
Feb–Apr 199340.4
Mar–May 199341.9
Apr–Jun 199341.9
May–Jul 199341.8
Jun–Aug 199341.5
Jul–Sep 199341.7
Aug–Oct 199341.9
Sep–Nov 199341.3
Oct–Dec 199341.7
Nov–Jan 199441.7
Dec–Feb 199442.1
Jan–Mar 199442.4
Feb–Apr 199442.4
Mar–May 199441.9
Apr–Jun 199441.8
May–Jul 199441.7
Jun–Aug 199442.1
Jul–Sep 199443.4
Aug–Oct 199443.3
Sep–Nov 199443.7
Oct–Dec 199443.4
Nov–Jan 199543.5
Dec–Feb 199543.1
Jan–Mar 199543.0
Feb–Apr 199543.1
Mar–May 199543.1
Apr–Jun 199543.4
May–Jul 199543.5
Jun–Aug 199543.1
Jul–Sep 199542.2
Aug–Oct 199542.2
Sep–Nov 199541.7
Oct–Dec 199541.8
Nov–Jan 199641.5
Dec–Feb 199641.3
Jan–Mar 199641.0
Feb–Apr 199641.0
Mar–May 199640.8
Apr–Jun 199640.6
May–Jul 199639.9
Jun–Aug 199639.9
Jul–Sep 199639.6
Aug–Oct 199640.1
Sep–Nov 199640.3
Oct–Dec 199640.7
Nov–Jan 199740.4
Dec–Feb 199739.2
Jan–Mar 199738.7
Feb–Apr 199738.3
Mar–May 199738.2
Apr–Jun 199738.0
May–Jul 199738.0
Jun–Aug 199737.4
Jul–Sep 199737.5
Aug–Oct 199737.2
Sep–Nov 199737.6
Oct–Dec 199737.2
Nov–Jan 199837.2
Dec–Feb 199836.6
Jan–Mar 199836.8
Feb–Apr 199836.4
Mar–May 199836.0
Apr–Jun 199835.0
May–Jul 199834.3
Jun–Aug 199834.3
Jul–Sep 199834.5
Aug–Oct 199834.6
Sep–Nov 199834.2
Oct–Dec 199834.0
Nov–Jan 199934.6
Dec–Feb 199934.6
Jan–Mar 199934.6
Feb–Apr 199934.6
Mar–May 199934.8
Apr–Jun 199935.8
May–Jul 199935.9
Jun–Aug 199936.0
Jul–Sep 199935.5
Aug–Oct 199934.9
Sep–Nov 199934.6
Oct–Dec 199933.8
Nov–Jan 200032.9
Dec–Feb 200032.5
Jan–Mar 200032.1
Feb–Apr 200032.0
Mar–May 200030.2
Apr–Jun 200029.4
May–Jul 200028.9
Jun–Aug 200029.7
Jul–Sep 200029.3
Aug–Oct 200029.2
Sep–Nov 200028.5
Oct–Dec 200028.2
Nov–Jan 200128.1
Dec–Feb 200127.1
Jan–Mar 200127.3
Feb–Apr 200127.0
Mar–May 200127.2
Apr–Jun 200126.8
May–Jul 200126.1
Jun–Aug 200125.7
Jul–Sep 200125.2
Aug–Oct 200125.7
Sep–Nov 200125.3
Oct–Dec 200125.8
Nov–Jan 200226.0
Dec–Feb 200226.5
Jan–Mar 200226.3
Feb–Apr 200226.9
Mar–May 200227.1
Apr–Jun 200227.2
May–Jul 200227.0
Jun–Aug 200226.6
Jul–Sep 200226.8
Aug–Oct 200226.4
Sep–Nov 200226.1
Oct–Dec 200226.5
Nov–Jan 200326.4
Dec–Feb 200326.8
Jan–Mar 200326.2
Feb–Apr 200326.4
Mar–May 200327.0
Apr–Jun 200327.0
May–Jul 200326.5
Jun–Aug 200325.9
Jul–Sep 200325.8
Aug–Oct 200326.4
Sep–Nov 200326.2
Oct–Dec 200326.1
Nov–Jan 200426.7
Dec–Feb 200426.7
Jan–Mar 200426.9
Feb–Apr 200426.2
Mar–May 200426.0
Apr–Jun 200425.9
May–Jul 200426.3
Jun–Aug 200425.1
Jul–Sep 200424.9
Aug–Oct 200424.5
Sep–Nov 200424.4
Oct–Dec 200424.2
Nov–Jan 200523.8
Dec–Feb 200523.8
Jan–Mar 200524.4
Feb–Apr 200524.7
Mar–May 200524.7
Apr–Jun 200524.6
May–Jul 200524.1
Jun–Aug 200525.7
Jul–Sep 200526.5
Aug–Oct 200527.0
Sep–Nov 200526.1
Oct–Dec 200525.0
Nov–Jan 200625.4
Dec–Feb 200625.1
Jan–Mar 200625.2
Feb–Apr 200624.9
Mar–May 200625.0
Apr–Jun 200625.3
May–Jul 200624.9
Jun–Aug 200624.7
Jul–Sep 200625.0
Aug–Oct 200626.1
Sep–Nov 200626.2
Oct–Dec 200625.9
Nov–Jan 200726.1
Dec–Feb 200726.1
Jan–Mar 200726.4
Feb–Apr 200726.6
Mar–May 200726.9
Apr–Jun 200727.7
May–Jul 200727.4
Jun–Aug 200727.2
Jul–Sep 200726.4
Aug–Oct 200726.3
Sep–Nov 200725.7
Oct–Dec 200725.4
Nov–Jan 200824.9
Dec–Feb 200825.1
Jan–Mar 200825.4
Feb–Apr 200824.9
Mar–May 200825.1
Apr–Jun 200824.9
May–Jul 200825.3
Jun–Aug 200825.5
Jul–Sep 200825.9
Aug–Oct 200825.6
Sep–Nov 200826.0
Oct–Dec 200826.9
Nov–Jan 200927.8
Dec–Feb 200929.5
Jan–Mar 200929.8
Feb–Apr 200929.6
Mar–May 200929.7
Apr–Jun 200930.2
May–Jul 200931.0
Jun–Aug 200931.1
Jul–Sep 200932.0
Aug–Oct 200932.5
Sep–Nov 200934.1
Oct–Dec 200934.4
Nov–Jan 201034.4
Dec–Feb 201034.6
Jan–Mar 201034.6
Feb–Apr 201035.9
Mar–May 201036.0
Apr–Jun 201036.3
May–Jul 201036.2
Jun–Aug 201037.5
Jul–Sep 201037.8
Aug–Oct 201037.0
Sep–Nov 201037.4
Oct–Dec 201037.3
Nov–Jan 201137.0
Dec–Feb 201136.3
Jan–Mar 201136.3
Feb–Apr 201136.4
Mar–May 201136.3
Apr–Jun 201137.7
May–Jul 201136.9
Jun–Aug 201138.1
Jul–Sep 201138.1
Aug–Oct 201139.4
Sep–Nov 201138.2
Oct–Dec 201139.0
Nov–Jan 201239.1
Dec–Feb 201239.6
Jan–Mar 201239.4
Feb–Apr 201239.2
Mar–May 201240.5
Apr–Jun 201239.9
May–Jul 201239.9
Jun–Aug 201239.6
Jul–Sep 201240.3
Aug–Oct 201240.2
Sep–Nov 201239.6
Oct–Dec 201239.8
Nov–Jan 201340.0
Dec–Feb 201340.1
Jan–Mar 201340.3
Feb–Apr 201339.7
Mar–May 201339.5
Apr–Jun 201338.5
May–Jul 201338.6
Jun–Aug 201338.4
Jul–Sep 201337.6
Aug–Oct 201337.3
Sep–Nov 201336.3
Oct–Dec 201337.1
Nov–Jan 201436.7
Dec–Feb 201436.0
Jan–Mar 201435.7
Feb–Apr 201435.7
Mar–May 201436.1
Apr–Jun 201436.5
May–Jul 201436.5
Jun–Aug 201436.2
Jul–Sep 201435.2
Aug–Oct 201433.8
Sep–Nov 201433.8
Oct–Dec 201433.8
Nov–Jan 201534.1
Dec–Feb 201535.1
Jan–Mar 201534.8
Feb–Apr 201534.7
Mar–May 201533.5
Apr–Jun 201534.5
May–Jul 201533.7
Jun–Aug 201535.2
Jul–Sep 201534.2
Aug–Oct 201535.0
Sep–Nov 201534.6
Oct–Dec 201533.9
Nov–Jan 201633.5
Dec–Feb 201632.9
Jan–Mar 201634.0
Feb–Apr 201632.8
Mar–May 201631.7
Apr–Jun 201631.8
May–Jul 201631.7
Jun–Aug 201630.8
Jul–Sep 201629.8
Aug–Oct 201630.3
Sep–Nov 201630.4
Oct–Dec 201629.1
Nov–Jan 201728.3
Dec–Feb 201727.7
Jan–Mar 201727.6
Feb–Apr 201727.3
Mar–May 201727.3
Apr–Jun 201727.4
May–Jul 201726.9
Jun–Aug 201727.8
Jul–Sep 201727.9
Aug–Oct 201728.2
Sep–Nov 201728.2
Oct–Dec 201729.0
Nov–Jan 201829.2
Dec–Feb 201829.0
Jan–Mar 201828.8
Feb–Apr 201828.6
Mar–May 201828.2
Apr–Jun 201827.9
May–Jul 201827.4
Jun–Aug 201826.7
Jul–Sep 201827.1
Aug–Oct 201826.9
Sep–Nov 201826.7
Oct–Dec 201826.3
Nov–Jan 201925.6
Dec–Feb 201926.4
Jan–Mar 201924.5
Feb–Apr 201924.6
Mar–May 201924.3
Apr–Jun 201924.1
May–Jul 201924.9
Jun–Aug 201924.2
Jul–Sep 201925.0
Aug–Oct 201925.7
Sep–Nov 201925.8
Oct–Dec 201926.1
Nov–Jan 202025.2
Dec–Feb 202026.0
Jan–Mar 202027.0
Feb–Apr 202026.9
Mar–May 202026.0
Apr–Jun 202025.3
May–Jul 202025.5
Jun–Aug 202026.4
Jul–Sep 202026.3
Aug–Oct 202026.9
Sep–Nov 202029.6
Oct–Dec 202029.7
Nov–Jan 202131.0
Dec–Feb 202131.0
Jan–Mar 202132.7
Feb–Apr 202132.4
Mar–May 202133.0
Apr–Jun 202132.6
May–Jul 202131.7
Jun–Aug 202129.9
Jul–Sep 202129.7
Aug–Oct 202129.3
Sep–Nov 202127.2
Oct–Dec 202125.8
Nov–Jan 202224.5
Dec–Feb 202226.3
Jan–Mar 202224.3
Feb–Apr 202224.1
Mar–May 202224.1
Apr–Jun 202223.8
May–Jul 202223.4
Jun–Aug 202223.9
Jul–Sep 202223.5
Aug–Oct 202222.5
Sep–Nov 202221.2
Oct–Dec 202222.1
Nov–Jan 202322.0
Dec–Feb 202321.8
Jan–Mar 202322.0
Feb–Apr 202322.9
Mar–May 202323.5
Apr–Jun 202322.6
May–Jul 202322.7
Jun–Aug 202321.6
Jul–Sep 202321.3
Aug–Oct 202321.6
Sep–Nov 202320.3
Oct–Dec 202320.6
Nov–Jan 202422.2
Dec–Feb 202421.8
Jan–Mar 202421.4
Feb–Apr 202419.7
Mar–May 202420.7
Apr–Jun 202420.6
May–Jul 202421.3
Jun–Aug 202423.9
Jul–Sep 202423.8
Aug–Oct 202424.4
Sep–Nov 202424.3
Oct–Dec 202424.9
Nov–Jan 202524.6
Dec–Feb 202525.2
Jan–Mar 202524.8
Feb–Apr 202524.8
Mar–May 202524.0
Apr–Jun 202523.9
May–Jul 202523.6
Jun–Aug 202523.9
Jul–Sep 202524.2
Aug–Oct 202523.7
Sep–Nov 202523.5
Oct–Dec 202523.6
Nov–Jan 202624.1
Dec–Feb 202623.5
Jan–Mar 202623.0
Feb–Apr 202623.1
Mar–May 202624.0
Apr–Jun 202624.5
May–Jul 202625.6

Rights at work — paid leave, sick pay and who pays for them — are compared with other European countries in Working rights across Europe. Options to help people into and on in work are in What would move the needle?

Sources and methods (2)

Method notes

  • Real pay: Average Weekly Earnings including bonuses, deflated by CPI to 2015 prices (A3WX), annual averages; Great Britain only.
  • Nominal and real pay are never plotted together. Temporary work is a UK Labour Force Survey estimate.