Employment growth easing in Barking & Dagenham and Havering as pay holds at £2,751 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 228,534 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.1% (-243 workers)
- Annual change
- +29 workers
- Median pay
- £2,751/month (YoY: +4.9%, £129 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.4% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£37 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Barking & Dagenham and Havering was broadly stable in June 2026, 29 more than a year ago, but edged down 0.1% on the month, a sign that momentum may be fading.
Across London, payrolled employment edged down 0.8% over the year to June 2026. Barking & Dagenham and Havering ranked 2nd of 20 sub-regional areas in London by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Barking & Dagenham and Havering stood at £2,751 in June 2026, up 4.9% 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 Barking & Dagenham and Havering are now £37 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,188 a month. The total pay bill in Barking & Dagenham and Havering rose 4.4% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Barking & Dagenham and Havering outperformed the UK as a whole, where 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.
“Employment in Barking & Dagenham and Havering continues to grow, but the pace is beginning to ease. After a period of strong momentum, some moderation is not unexpected, the question is whether this represents a healthy consolidation or the early signs of a slowdown. The next few months of data will be telling.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
London — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bexley and Greenwich | 266,072 | +0.3% | £3,068 | +4.5% |
| 2 | Barking & Dagenham and Havering | 228,534 | +0.0% | £2,751 | +4.9% |
| 3 | Hackney and Newham | 326,819 | +0.0% | £2,813 | +4.4% |
| 4 | Merton, Kingston upon Thames and Sutton | 286,271 | -0.4% | £3,181 | +4.5% |
| 5 | Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames | 236,611 | -0.4% | £3,036 | +3.9% |
| 6 | Bromley | 152,806 | -0.6% | £3,385 | +4.3% |
| 7 | Croydon | 191,987 | -0.6% | £2,973 | +5.1% |
| 8 | Wandsworth | 177,562 | -0.7% | £3,991 | +4.6% |
| 9 | Redbridge and Waltham Forest | 285,050 | -0.7% | £2,866 | +5.3% |
| 10 | Harrow and Hillingdon | 274,842 | -0.7% | £2,833 | +4.6% |
| 11 | Tower Hamlets | 170,646 | -0.9% | £3,316 | +4.1% |
| 12 | Lewisham and Southwark | 314,396 | -1.0% | £3,311 | +4.6% |
| 13 | Ealing | 181,268 | -1.0% | £2,908 | +4.5% |
| 14 | Barnet | 174,513 | -1.2% | £2,929 | +5.2% |
| 15 | Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham | 153,283 | -1.4% | £3,735 | +4.8% |
| 16 | Lambeth | 169,867 | -1.5% | £3,496 | +4.3% |
| 17 | Enfield | 145,051 | -1.6% | £2,611 | +4.6% |
| 18 | Haringey and Islington | 240,111 | -1.7% | £3,264 | +5.0% |
| 19 | Camden | 97,256 | -1.8% | £3,610 | +5.9% |
| 20 | Brent | 169,443 | -1.9% | £2,723 | +5.2% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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