Employment growth easing in Luton as pay holds at £2,496 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 108,406 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.1% (-111 workers)
- Annual change
- +0.4% (+438 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,496/month (YoY: +5.5%, £131 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.9% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£70 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Luton remained 0.4% higher than a year ago in June 2026, but slipped 0.1% on the month, a sign that growth may be moderating.
Across the East of England, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to June 2026. Luton ranked 1st of 17 sub-regional areas in the East of England by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Luton stood at £2,496 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 Luton are now £70 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,943 a month. The total pay bill in Luton rose 4.9% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Luton 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 Luton 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
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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