Employment growth easing in Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire as pay holds at £2,763 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 162,243 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.0% (-59 workers)
- Annual change
- +0.4% (+717 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,763/month (YoY: +5.5%, £144 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.0% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£110 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire remained 0.4% higher than a year ago in June 2026, but was broadly unchanged on the month, a sign that growth may be moderating.
Across Scotland, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to June 2026. Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire ranked 1st of 20 sub-regional areas in Scotland by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire stood at £2,763 in June 2026, up 5.5% 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 Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire are now £110 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,114 a month. The total pay bill in Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire rose 5% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire 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 Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire 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
Scotland — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire | 162,243 | +0.4% | £2,763 | +5.5% |
| 2 | South Lanarkshire | 150,815 | +0.2% | unknown | unknown |
| 3 | Caithness and Sutherland, and Ross and Cromarty | 39,582 | +0.2% | £2,536 | +4.4% |
| 4 | Inverness and Nairn, Moray, and Badenoch and Strathspey | 93,425 | +0.1% | unknown | unknown |
| 5 | Glasgow City | 276,199 | +0.1% | unknown | unknown |
| 6 | North Lanarkshire | 157,840 | +0.1% | unknown | unknown |
| 7 | South Ayrshire | 44,789 | +0.0% | unknown | unknown |
| 8 | Clackmannanshire and Fife | 182,544 | +0.0% | £2,631 | +4.8% |
| 9 | City of Edinburgh | 252,583 | +0.0% | unknown | unknown |
| 10 | West Lothian | 87,689 | +0.0% | unknown | unknown |
| 11 | North Ayrshire and East Ayrshire | 104,380 | -0.2% | £2,649 | +5.4% |
| 12 | East Lothian and Midlothian | 94,863 | -0.2% | £2,710 | +5.1% |
| 13 | Perth and Kinross, and Stirling | 107,794 | -0.2% | £2,628 | +4.0% |
| 14 | Angus and Dundee City | 113,509 | -0.3% | £2,556 | +5.1% |
| 15 | Falkirk | 74,473 | -0.4% | unknown | unknown |
| 16 | Lochaber, Skye and Lochalsh, Arran and Cumbrae, and Argyll and Bute | 41,507 | -0.4% | £2,466 | +5.2% |
| 17 | Dumfries and Galloway | 58,524 | -0.4% | unknown | unknown |
| 18 | Scottish Borders | 47,125 | -0.7% | unknown | unknown |
| 19 | East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, and Helensburgh and Lomond | 10,024 | -0.9% | £2,776 | +3.8% |
| 20 | Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire | 225,510 | -1.1% | £2,779 | +3.9% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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