Employment falls in Southend-on-Sea as pay rises to £2,697 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 79,629 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.1% (-98 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.7% (-528 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,697/month (YoY: +5.2%, £134 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.8% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£95 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Southend-on-Sea fell 0.7% over the year to June 2026, 528 fewer workers, with a further monthly dip of 0.1% sustaining the downward pressure.
Across the East of England, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to June 2026. Southend-on-Sea ranked 16th of 17 sub-regional areas in the East of England by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Southend-on-Sea stood at £2,697 in June 2026, up 5.2% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 2.82%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in Southend-on-Sea are now £95 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,078 a month. The total pay bill in Southend-on-Sea rose 5.8% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Nationally, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to June 2026. Across the UK, 599,257 workers entered payrolled employment in May 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 596,423 left, a net gain of 2,834 workers.
“Employers in Southend have reported a significant dip in payroll in the latest figures. It's too early to tell if this is businesses bracing agains the impact of the current economic uncertainty on inflation. On the flip side, wages for those in work continues to surge. The positive story is that workers in Southend are seeing their pay packets grow. That's money in people's pockets, and it matters for local businesses and public services. But there will be understandable concern at the employment picture.”
— Paul Hebden, Campaign Salience
East of England — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luton | 108,406 | +0.4% | £2,496 | +5.5% |
| 2 | Thurrock | 85,620 | +0.3% | £2,790 | +4.2% |
| 3 | Norwich and East Norfolk | 166,035 | +0.2% | £2,432 | +4.7% |
| 4 | Breckland and South Norfolk | 123,889 | +0.2% | £2,538 | +4.4% |
| 5 | Central Bedfordshire | 143,163 | +0.2% | £2,890 | +4.4% |
| 6 | Bedford | 89,241 | +0.2% | £2,705 | +4.8% |
| 7 | Essex Thames Gateway | 163,943 | +0.1% | £2,786 | +4.8% |
| 8 | Essex Haven Gateway | 216,544 | -0.1% | £2,592 | +4.6% |
| 9 | West Suffolk | 78,525 | -0.2% | £2,613 | +4.5% |
| 10 | Peterborough | 103,442 | -0.4% | £2,472 | +5.0% |
| 11 | Cambridgeshire CC | 321,503 | -0.4% | £2,858 | +4.3% |
| 12 | Heart of Essex | 152,446 | -0.4% | £2,933 | +4.8% |
| 13 | West Essex | 149,960 | -0.4% | £2,821 | +4.4% |
| 14 | East Suffolk | 97,943 | -0.6% | £2,425 | +4.8% |
| 15 | North and West Norfolk | 97,676 | -0.6% | £2,367 | +4.5% |
| 16 | Southend | 79,629 | -0.7% | £2,697 | +5.2% |
| 17 | Ipswich | 67,053 | -0.8% | £2,467 | +4.2% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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