Employment falls in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan as pay rises to £2,607 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 220,029 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.0% (-2 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.5% (-1,125 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,607/month (YoY: +4.2%, £105 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.1% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£69 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan fell 0.5% over the year to July 2026, 1,125 fewer workers, with the monthly figure broadly unchanged.
Across Wales, payrolled employment edged down 0.5% over the year to July 2026. Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan ranked 6th of 10 sub-regional areas in Wales by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan stood at £2,607 in July 2026, up 4.2% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 3.03%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan are now £69 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,029 a month. The total pay bill in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan rose 5.1% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Nationally, payrolled employment edged down 0.3% over the year to July 2026. Across the UK, 580,736 workers entered payrolled employment in June 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 594,229 left, a net loss of 13,493 workers.
“Latest figures show that employers in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan have seen a dip in payroll compared to the same month last year. It's hard to tell if this is businesses bracing agains the impact of the current economic uncertainty on inflation. On the flip side, wages for those in work continues to surge. The positive story is that workers in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan are seeing their pay packets grow. That's money in people's pockets, and it matters for local businesses and public services. But there will be understandable concern at the employment picture.”
— Paul Hebden, Campaign Salience
Wales — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monmouthshire and Newport | 112,536 | +0.0% | £2,633 | +4.2% |
| 2 | Isle of Anglesey | 26,107 | -0.2% | £2,423 | +3.4% |
| 3 | South West Wales | 147,632 | -0.3% | £2,375 | +4.3% |
| 4 | Flintshire and Wrexham | 132,834 | -0.4% | £2,577 | +4.2% |
| 5 | Neath Port Talbot | 57,190 | -0.5% | £2,510 | +5.3% |
| 6 | Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan | 220,029 | -0.5% | £2,607 | +4.2% |
| 7 | Gwent Valleys | 142,403 | -0.6% | £2,562 | +5.0% |
| 8 | Gwynedd | 48,617 | -0.6% | £2,334 | +3.2% |
| 9 | Conwy and Denbighshire | 83,710 | -0.8% | £2,389 | +3.4% |
| 10 | Swansea | 101,162 | -1.1% | £2,487 | +5.1% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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