Ipswich jobs show signs of recovery as median pay reaches £2,467 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 67,053 workers (May 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+61 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.8% (-569 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,467/month (YoY: +4.2%, £100 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +3.4% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£83 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Ipswich fell 0.8% over the year to May 2026, with 67,053 workers on payroll. However, in the most recent month employers added 61 workers, a tentative sign that confidence may be returning.
Across the East of England, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to May 2026. Ipswich ranked 41st of 45 towns and cities in the East of England by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Ipswich stood at £2,467 in May 2026, up 4.2% 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 Ipswich are now £83 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,908 a month. The total pay bill in Ipswich rose 3.4% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Ipswich's performance lagged behind the UK as a whole, where payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.3% over the year to May 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.
“After a sustained period of pressure on household finances, we’re starting to see the dial turn in Ipswich. Employment is holding up and pay is beginning to outpace inflation. It’s early, but these are the right signals.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
East of England — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mid Suffolk | 45,547 | +0.6% | £2,593 | +4.0% |
| 2 | Luton | 108,603 | +0.5% | £2,491 | +5.1% |
| 3 | Breckland | 61,286 | +0.4% | £2,472 | +3.9% |
| 4 | East Cambridgeshire | 42,856 | +0.4% | £2,774 | +3.0% |
| 5 | Broadland | 58,336 | +0.2% | £2,513 | +4.9% |
| 6 | Stevenage | 43,703 | +0.2% | £2,809 | +5.1% |
| 7 | Thurrock | 85,553 | +0.2% | £2,786 | +4.5% |
| 8 | Rochford | 38,285 | +0.2% | £2,801 | +4.4% |
| 9 | Welwyn Hatfield | 58,525 | +0.1% | £2,773 | +3.9% |
| 10 | Tendring | 55,612 | +0.1% | £2,363 | +4.4% |
| 11 | Central Bedfordshire | 143,181 | +0.1% | £2,884 | +4.4% |
| 12 | Bedford | 89,262 | +0.1% | £2,696 | +4.6% |
| 13 | Basildon | 87,158 | +0.0% | £2,808 | +5.0% |
| 14 | South Cambridgeshire | 78,932 | +0.0% | £3,053 | +3.5% |
| 15 | Castle Point | 38,366 | +0.0% | £2,709 | +5.2% |
| 16 | Babergh | 38,846 | +0.0% | £2,524 | +5.3% |
| 17 | Colchester | 89,954 | -0.1% | £2,646 | +4.8% |
| 18 | Dacorum | 72,971 | -0.1% | £2,900 | +4.7% |
| 19 | East Hertfordshire | 72,406 | -0.1% | £3,037 | +4.3% |
| 20 | Watford | 52,100 | -0.1% | £2,903 | +3.9% |
| 21 | North Hertfordshire | 63,038 | -0.2% | £3,071 | +4.1% |
| 22 | West Suffolk | 78,525 | -0.2% | £2,613 | +4.5% |
| 23 | Brentwood | 36,241 | -0.3% | £3,283 | +4.4% |
| 24 | Norwich | 65,315 | -0.3% | £2,438 | +4.8% |
| 25 | Braintree | 71,063 | -0.3% | £2,678 | +4.9% |
| 26 | St Albans | 69,681 | -0.3% | £3,420 | +3.8% |
| 27 | Uttlesford | 42,982 | -0.4% | £2,848 | +4.6% |
| 28 | Maldon | 28,541 | -0.4% | £2,590 | +4.4% |
| 29 | Broxbourne | 46,514 | -0.4% | £2,728 | +4.4% |
| 30 | South Norfolk | 62,312 | -0.4% | £2,593 | +4.6% |
| 31 | Peterborough | 103,589 | -0.5% | £2,458 | +4.6% |
| 32 | Great Yarmouth | 41,945 | -0.5% | £2,311 | +4.7% |
| 33 | Chelmsford | 87,730 | -0.6% | £2,928 | +4.8% |
| 34 | East Suffolk | 97,943 | -0.6% | £2,425 | +4.8% |
| 35 | Epping Forest | 61,392 | -0.6% | £2,937 | +4.3% |
| 36 | Three Rivers | 43,629 | -0.7% | £3,108 | +4.0% |
| 37 | Huntingdonshire | 86,581 | -0.7% | £2,776 | +4.7% |
| 38 | Hertsmere | 48,948 | -0.8% | £2,909 | +4.4% |
| 39 | Kings Lynn and West Norfolk | 61,866 | -0.8% | £2,408 | +4.0% |
| 40 | Southend on Sea | 79,609 | -0.8% | £2,685 | +5.1% |
| 41 | Ipswich | 67,053 | -0.8% | £2,467 | +4.2% |
| 42 | Fenland | 45,409 | -0.9% | £2,510 | +3.9% |
| 43 | Cambridge | 67,884 | -0.9% | £3,109 | +3.7% |
| 44 | Harlow | 45,318 | -1.0% | £2,694 | +5.1% |
| 45 | North Norfolk | 35,598 | -1.2% | £2,256 | +3.8% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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