Employment falls in Chorley and West Lancashire as pay rises to £2,603 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 104,278 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.1% (-124 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.5% (-514 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,603/month (YoY: +4.7%, £116 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.5% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£95 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Chorley and West Lancashire fell 0.5% over the year to July 2026, 514 fewer workers, with a further monthly dip of 0.1% sustaining the downward pressure.
Across the North West, payrolled employment edged down 0.4% over the year to July 2026. Chorley and West Lancashire ranked 11th of 19 sub-regional areas in the North West by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Chorley and West Lancashire stood at £2,603 in July 2026, up 4.7% 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 Chorley and West Lancashire are now £95 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,995 a month. The total pay bill in Chorley and West Lancashire rose 4.5% 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 Chorley and West Lancashire 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 Chorley and West Lancashire 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
North West — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater Manchester South West | 246,806 | +0.2% | £2,650 | +4.4% |
| 2 | Cheshire East | 185,383 | +0.0% | £2,692 | +4.8% |
| 3 | Mid Lancashire | 186,490 | -0.1% | £2,546 | +4.9% |
| 4 | Wirral | 137,403 | -0.1% | £2,592 | +4.8% |
| 5 | Greater Manchester South East | 241,054 | -0.3% | £2,628 | +4.2% |
| 6 | Greater Manchester North West | 276,641 | -0.3% | £2,505 | +4.7% |
| 7 | Warrington | 100,955 | -0.4% | £2,649 | +3.9% |
| 8 | East Merseyside | 210,116 | -0.4% | £2,594 | +4.6% |
| 9 | Greater Manchester North East | 280,042 | -0.4% | £2,458 | +4.4% |
| 10 | Cheshire West | 163,423 | -0.4% | £2,628 | +4.3% |
| 11 | Chorley and West Lancashire | 104,278 | -0.5% | £2,603 | +4.7% |
| 12 | East Lancashire | 142,374 | -0.5% | £2,404 | +4.9% |
| 13 | Sefton | 117,529 | -0.6% | £2,569 | +5.8% |
| 14 | Manchester | 253,521 | -0.7% | £2,461 | +4.3% |
| 15 | Liverpool | 216,419 | -0.7% | £2,524 | +5.7% |
| 16 | Lancaster and Wyre | 104,318 | -0.8% | £2,460 | +4.9% |
| 17 | Blackburn with Darwen | 64,827 | -0.8% | £2,330 | +4.7% |
| 18 | West Cumbria | 103,929 | -0.9% | £2,722 | +4.3% |
| 19 | Blackpool | 58,772 | -1.2% | £2,353 | +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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