Employment falls in Worcestershire CC as pay rises to £2,573 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 270,961 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.0% (-36 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.2% (-629 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,573/month (YoY: +4.8%, £118 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.2% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£79 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Worcestershire CC fell 0.2% over the year to June 2026, 629 fewer workers, with the monthly figure broadly unchanged.
Across the West Midlands, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to June 2026. Worcestershire CC ranked 9th of 14 sub-regional areas in the West Midlands by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Worcestershire CC stood at £2,573 in June 2026, up 4.8% 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 Worcestershire CC are now £79 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,995 a month. The total pay bill in Worcestershire CC rose 4.2% 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 Worcestershire CC 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 Worcestershire CC 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
West Midlands — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry | 168,165 | +0.9% | £2,542 | +4.7% |
| 2 | Telford | 85,664 | +0.7% | £2,543 | +5.3% |
| 3 | Warwickshire CC | 284,359 | +0.4% | £2,748 | +4.3% |
| 4 | Stoke-on-Trent | 115,140 | +0.3% | £2,396 | +5.0% |
| 5 | Herefordshire | 81,126 | +0.0% | £2,460 | +5.8% |
| 6 | Walsall | 118,797 | +0.0% | £2,424 | +5.4% |
| 7 | Staffordshire CC | 395,833 | -0.1% | £2,577 | +4.8% |
| 8 | Solihull | 96,960 | -0.2% | £2,756 | +4.7% |
| 9 | Worcestershire CC | 270,961 | -0.2% | £2,573 | +4.8% |
| 10 | Sandwell | 146,909 | -0.4% | £2,384 | +5.1% |
| 11 | Dudley | 139,003 | -0.4% | £2,511 | +5.2% |
| 12 | Wolverhampton | 118,341 | -0.5% | £2,442 | +5.0% |
| 13 | Shropshire | 133,343 | -0.7% | £2,473 | +5.2% |
| 14 | Birmingham | 464,350 | -0.7% | £2,438 | +5.3% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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