Jobs hold steady in Monmouthshire and Newport as median pay reaches £2,612 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 112,528 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+143 workers)
- Annual change
- +0.2% (+223 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,612/month (YoY: +4.5%, £112 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +3.8% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£69 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Monmouthshire and Newport continued to grow in June 2026, with workers up 0.2% year-on-year, 223 more than a year ago, and rising a further 0.1% on the month.
Across Wales, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to June 2026. Monmouthshire and Newport ranked 1st of 10 sub-regional areas in Wales by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Monmouthshire and Newport stood at £2,612 in June 2026, up 4.5% 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 Monmouthshire and Newport are now £69 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,039 a month. The total pay bill in Monmouthshire and Newport rose 3.8% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Monmouthshire and Newport 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.
“The employment picture in Monmouthshire and Newport is genuinely encouraging. More people in work and real pay rising means households have more money in their pockets. That kind of momentum matters for local businesses and public services alike.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
Wales — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monmouthshire and Newport | 112,528 | +0.2% | £2,612 | +4.5% |
| 2 | Isle of Anglesey | 26,205 | +0.1% | £2,432 | +5.2% |
| 3 | Flintshire and Wrexham | 133,355 | +0.1% | £2,566 | +4.6% |
| 4 | Gwynedd | 48,866 | +0.0% | £2,335 | +4.5% |
| 5 | Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan | 220,500 | -0.1% | £2,598 | +4.8% |
| 6 | South West Wales | 147,736 | -0.1% | £2,365 | +4.8% |
| 7 | Conwy and Denbighshire | 84,254 | -0.2% | £2,385 | +5.0% |
| 8 | Gwent Valleys | 142,784 | -0.2% | £2,536 | +4.6% |
| 9 | Neath Port Talbot | 57,190 | -0.5% | £2,510 | +5.3% |
| 10 | Swansea | 101,044 | -1.1% | £2,469 | +5.5% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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