Perth and Kinross, and Stirling jobs show signs of recovery as median pay reaches £2,628 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 107,794 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.0% (+31 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.2% (-239 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,628/month (YoY: +4.0%, £101 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +3.6% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£77 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Perth and Kinross, and Stirling fell 0.2% over the year to June 2026, with 107,794 workers on payroll. However, in the most recent month employers added 31 workers, a tentative sign that confidence may be returning.
Across Scotland, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to June 2026. Perth and Kinross, and Stirling ranked 13th of 20 sub-regional areas in Scotland by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Perth and Kinross, and Stirling stood at £2,628 in June 2026, up 4.0% 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 Perth and Kinross, and Stirling are now £77 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,042 a month. The total pay bill in Perth and Kinross, and Stirling rose 3.6% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Nationally, 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.
“After a sustained period of pressure on household finances, we’re starting to see the dial turn in Perth and Kinross, and Stirling. 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
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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