Spotlight
AWE: Whole Economy Year on Year Three Month Average Growth (%): Seasonally Adjusted Total Pay Excluding Arrears
Year on year 3 months average
7 %
2022 MAR
- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022

Employee earnings in the UK: 2021
What's in the bulletin?
- Median weekly pay for full-time employees was £611 in April 2021, up 4.3% on a year earlier; this growth is the highest since 2008.
- Across all jobs, median weekly earnings in April 2021 increased by 5.3% from a year earlier on a nominal basis; when adjusted for inflation, they increased 3.6% in real terms over the year; between April 2019 and April 2020 they remained unchanged in nominal terms and decreased by 0.9% in real terms.
- Pay increased for most workers in 2021, but particularly those that were most affected by the pandemic in 2020, most notably younger employees, men and the lowest-paid occupations.

UK economy latest
A roundup of the latest data and analysis on the UK economy, business and jobs following Brexit and during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Time series related to Earnings and working hours
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AWE: Whole Economy Year on Year Three Month Average Growth (%): Seasonally Adjusted Total Pay Excluding Arrears
Year on year 3 months average
7 % 2022 MAR- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
-
£ 615 2022 MAR
- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
-
AWE: Whole Economy Year on Year Three Month Average Growth (%): Seasonally Adjusted Regular Pay Excluding Arrears
Year on year 3 months average
4.2 % 2022 MAR- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
-
£ 558 2022 MAR
- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
-
36.6 hours 2022 JAN-MAR
- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
Datasets related to Earnings and working hours
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EARN01: Average weekly earnings
Average Weekly Earnings (AWE), seasonally adjusted. This spreadsheet includes the headline estimates of earnings growth based on the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey.
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Average weekly earnings time series
This dataset contains series for Average Weekly Earnings (AWE).
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Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings time series of selected estimates
Selected annual estimates of earnings and paid hours worked by UK employees using ASHE data from 1997 to 2021.
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Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) - Guide to tables
Guide to ASHE results tables.
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Gender pay gap
Annual gender pay gap estimates for UK employees by age, occupation, industry, full-time and part-time, region and other geographies, and public and private sector. Compiled from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
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Index of Labour Costs per Hour, seasonally adjusted
Index of Labour Costs per Hour (ILCH) values and yearly and quarterly growth for industries and sectors, seasonally adjusted, UK.
Publications related to Earnings and working hours
Statistical bulletins
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Employee earnings in the UK: 2021
Measures of employee earnings, using data from the Annual Survey for Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
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Gender pay gap in the UK: 2021
Differences in pay between women and men by age, region, full-time and part-time, and occupation.
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Low and high pay in the UK: 2021
The distribution of hourly earnings of high-paid and low-paid jobs and jobs paid below the National Minimum Wage.
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Index of Labour Costs per Hour, UK: July to September 2020
Changes in the costs of employing labour, analysed by sector and industry. Experimental Statistics.
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Average weekly earnings in Great Britain: May 2022
Estimates of growth in earnings for employees before tax and other deductions from pay.
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Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK: May 2022
Experimental monthly estimates of payrolled employees and their pay from HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) data. This is a joint release between HMRC and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Articles
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) roundup
Catch up on the latest data and analysis related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on our economy and society.
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National Living Wage earners fall short of average family spending
The National Living Wage is about to go up to £7.83 per hour – but how easy is it to live on? Our calculator lets you find out how affordable your lifestyle would be if you earned the National Living Wage.
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London had the smallest gender pay gap 20 years ago, but now it has the largest
The pay gap between men and women working in London has barely changed in over two decades, new ONS analysis shows.
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How do the jobs men and women do affect the gender pay gap?
Women are more likely than men to work in low-paid sectors, but even in roles dominated by women they often earn less.
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New methods for monthly earnings and employment estimates from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI) data
An article explaining the methods used to derive monthly employee and earnings estimates from Pay as You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI) administrative data. The article also includes comparisons with ONS’s official sources of Labour Market data.
Methodology related to Earnings and working hours
- Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Low Pay and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings Pension Results QMI
- Income and earnings statistics guide
- Average weekly earnings QMI
- Guide to interpreting Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) estimates
- Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) methodology and guidance
Looking for local statistics?
A handy guide to let you know where to find local statistics.