Oxford jobs show signs of recovery as median pay reaches £2,931 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 74,022 workers (May 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.2% (+143 workers)
- Annual change
- -1.3% (-1,007 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,931/month (YoY: +5.8%, £160 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +2.7% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£35 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Oxford fell 1.3% over the year to May 2026, with 74,022 workers on payroll. However, in the most recent month employers added 143 workers, a tentative sign that confidence may be returning.
Across the South East, payrolled employment edged down 0.4% over the year to May 2026. Oxford ranked 64th of 64 towns and cities in the South East by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Oxford stood at £2,931 in May 2026, up 5.8% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 2.97%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in Oxford are now £35 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,340 a month. The total pay bill in Oxford rose 2.7% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Oxford's performance lagged behind the UK as a whole, where payrolled employment edged down 0.4% over the year to May 2026. Across the UK, 539,199 workers entered payrolled employment in April 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 591,851 left, a net loss of 52,652 workers.
“After a sustained period of pressure on household finances, we’re starting to see the dial turn in Oxford. 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
South East — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rushmoor | 53,975 | +0.6% | £2,834 | +3.5% |
| 2 | Eastleigh | 67,153 | +0.6% | £2,752 | +4.4% |
| 3 | Vale of White Horse | 68,992 | +0.5% | £3,067 | +4.4% |
| 4 | Eastbourne | 42,363 | +0.4% | £2,411 | +4.4% |
| 5 | Tonbridge and Malling | 60,969 | +0.4% | £2,870 | +4.9% |
| 6 | Dartford | 59,035 | +0.2% | £3,004 | +4.7% |
| 7 | Maidstone | 86,686 | +0.2% | £2,673 | +3.6% |
| 8 | Arun | 68,669 | +0.2% | £2,449 | +4.6% |
| 9 | Mid Sussex | 73,016 | +0.1% | £2,926 | +4.7% |
| 10 | Gravesham | 49,367 | +0.1% | £2,676 | +4.9% |
| 11 | Spelthorne | 51,616 | +0.1% | £3,026 | +3.8% |
| 12 | Medway | 131,450 | +0.0% | £2,706 | +5.1% |
| 13 | Tunbridge Wells | 51,644 | +0.0% | £2,831 | +4.5% |
| 14 | Test Valley | 61,873 | +0.0% | £2,759 | +3.9% |
| 15 | Hastings | 36,612 | -0.1% | £2,389 | +5.5% |
| 16 | Winchester | 58,110 | -0.1% | £2,847 | +4.3% |
| 17 | Swale | 66,050 | -0.1% | £2,611 | +4.4% |
| 18 | Cherwell | 82,954 | -0.1% | £2,817 | +4.7% |
| 19 | Elmbridge | 62,938 | -0.1% | £3,465 | +3.4% |
| 20 | Bracknell Forest | 64,904 | -0.1% | £3,039 | +3.3% |
| 21 | Mole Valley | 38,466 | -0.1% | £2,998 | +4.2% |
| 22 | Epsom and Ewell | 38,145 | -0.2% | £3,249 | +4.7% |
| 23 | Surrey Heath | 43,970 | -0.2% | £3,048 | +3.2% |
| 24 | Basingstoke and Deane | 93,473 | -0.2% | £2,954 | +4.0% |
| 25 | Reigate and Banstead | 72,356 | -0.2% | £3,146 | +4.7% |
| 26 | Wealden | 65,767 | -0.2% | £2,524 | +4.2% |
| 27 | Havant | 51,636 | -0.3% | £2,500 | +4.9% |
| 28 | Fareham | 50,755 | -0.3% | £2,801 | +5.4% |
| 29 | Canterbury | 63,147 | -0.3% | £2,479 | +4.8% |
| 30 | Sevenoaks | 52,046 | -0.3% | £3,004 | +4.3% |
| 31 | Milton Keynes | 146,180 | -0.3% | £2,738 | +4.3% |
| 32 | Wokingham | 87,974 | -0.3% | £3,249 | +3.7% |
| 33 | Ashford | 61,883 | -0.3% | £2,628 | +4.8% |
| 34 | East Hampshire | 55,424 | -0.3% | £2,776 | +4.5% |
| 35 | Woking | 50,682 | -0.4% | £3,125 | +4.3% |
| 36 | Tandridge | 39,141 | -0.4% | £3,043 | +4.6% |
| 37 | Folkestone and Hythe | 44,274 | -0.4% | £2,550 | +4.6% |
| 38 | West Berkshire | 77,509 | -0.4% | £2,931 | +4.6% |
| 39 | Isle of Wight | 52,128 | -0.4% | £2,279 | +4.9% |
| 40 | Reading | 92,469 | -0.4% | £2,911 | +4.2% |
| 41 | Buckinghamshire | 259,241 | -0.4% | £2,939 | +4.5% |
| 42 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 71,851 | -0.4% | £3,220 | +3.0% |
| 43 | Horsham | 66,532 | -0.5% | £2,830 | +4.5% |
| 44 | Dover | 46,339 | -0.5% | £2,521 | +4.4% |
| 45 | Hart | 47,326 | -0.5% | £3,170 | +4.1% |
| 46 | Rother | 32,997 | -0.6% | £2,412 | +5.4% |
| 47 | Gosport | 36,129 | -0.6% | £2,546 | +4.4% |
| 48 | Slough | 77,807 | -0.6% | £2,682 | +4.0% |
| 49 | Guildford | 72,059 | -0.6% | £2,888 | +3.8% |
| 50 | Adur | 26,631 | -0.6% | £2,523 | +4.7% |
| 51 | New Forest | 71,543 | -0.6% | £2,523 | +4.7% |
| 52 | Waverley | 55,844 | -0.6% | £3,024 | +4.1% |
| 53 | Southampton | 115,994 | -0.7% | £2,559 | +4.6% |
| 54 | Worthing | 50,163 | -0.7% | £2,603 | +5.1% |
| 55 | Chichester | 49,745 | -0.7% | £2,534 | +3.7% |
| 56 | Crawley | 62,215 | -0.7% | £2,735 | +3.9% |
| 57 | Runnymede | 40,440 | -0.7% | £2,999 | +3.7% |
| 58 | West Oxfordshire | 53,593 | -1.0% | £2,840 | +4.8% |
| 59 | South Oxfordshire | 69,277 | -1.1% | £3,044 | +4.4% |
| 60 | Brighton and Hove | 127,020 | -1.1% | £2,616 | +4.4% |
| 61 | Lewes | 39,489 | -1.2% | £2,522 | +4.1% |
| 62 | Thanet | 54,540 | -1.3% | £2,414 | +5.1% |
| 63 | Portsmouth | 94,691 | -1.3% | £2,524 | +5.0% |
| 64 | Oxford | 74,022 | -1.3% | £2,931 | +5.8% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
WageSight's newswire places sourced local economic stories — with expert comment — in front of news desks across the UK. To discuss providing commentary for stories in your area or sector, contact [email protected].