South Teesside jobs show signs of recovery as median pay reaches £2,419 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 117,234 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.0% (+7 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.9% (-1,036 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,419/month (YoY: +4.9%, £114 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +3.9% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£119 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in South Teesside fell 0.9% over the year to June 2026, with 117,234 workers on payroll. However, in the most recent month employers added 7 workers, a tentative sign that confidence may be returning.
Across the North East, payrolled employment edged down 0.3% over the year to June 2026. South Teesside ranked 7th of 7 sub-regional areas in the North East by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in South Teesside stood at £2,419 in June 2026, up 4.9% 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 South Teesside are now £119 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,824 a month. The total pay bill in South Teesside rose 3.9% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
South Teesside's performance lagged behind 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.
“After a sustained period of pressure on household finances, we’re starting to see the dial turn in South Teesside. 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
North East — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington | 49,500 | +0.4% | £2,497 | +4.8% |
| 2 | Sunderland | 118,410 | +0.2% | £2,468 | +4.0% |
| 3 | Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees | 123,902 | +0.0% | £2,514 | +4.5% |
| 4 | Tyneside | 369,769 | -0.4% | £2,520 | +4.8% |
| 5 | County Durham | 211,110 | -0.5% | £2,497 | +4.6% |
| 6 | Northumberland | 131,911 | -0.6% | £2,475 | +4.9% |
| 7 | South Teesside | 117,234 | -0.9% | £2,419 | +5.0% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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