Employment growth easing in Barking & Dagenham and Havering as pay holds at £2,771 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 228,677 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.1% (-298 workers)
- Annual change
- +4 workers
- Median pay
- £2,771/month (YoY: +4.7%, £124 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +7.5% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£46 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Barking & Dagenham and Havering was broadly stable in July 2026, 4 more than a year ago, but edged down 0.1% on the month, a sign that momentum may be fading.
Across London, payrolled employment edged down 0.8% over the year to July 2026. Barking & Dagenham and Havering ranked 3rd of 20 sub-regional areas in London by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Barking & Dagenham and Havering stood at £2,771 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 Barking & Dagenham and Havering are now £46 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,188 a month. The total pay bill in Barking & Dagenham and Havering rose 7.5% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Barking & Dagenham and Havering outperformed the UK as a whole, where 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 Barking & Dagenham and Havering 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 Barking & Dagenham and Havering 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
London — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bexley and Greenwich | 266,080 | +0.2% | £3,085 | +4.1% |
| 2 | Hackney and Newham | 327,576 | +0.1% | £2,833 | +4.6% |
| 3 | Barking & Dagenham and Havering | 228,677 | +0.0% | £2,771 | +4.7% |
| 4 | Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames | 236,875 | -0.3% | £3,041 | +3.4% |
| 5 | Merton, Kingston upon Thames and Sutton | 285,877 | -0.4% | £3,198 | +4.4% |
| 6 | Harrow and Hillingdon | 275,046 | -0.6% | £2,847 | +4.3% |
| 7 | Bromley | 152,728 | -0.6% | £3,402 | +4.2% |
| 8 | Croydon | 191,758 | -0.7% | £2,995 | +5.3% |
| 9 | Redbridge and Waltham Forest | 284,952 | -0.7% | £2,877 | +4.9% |
| 10 | Wandsworth | 177,409 | -0.8% | £4,016 | +4.9% |
| 11 | Barnet | 174,745 | -0.9% | £2,942 | +4.8% |
| 12 | Tower Hamlets | 170,542 | -0.9% | £3,330 | +3.7% |
| 13 | Lewisham and Southwark | 314,200 | -1.0% | £3,326 | +4.5% |
| 14 | Ealing | 181,097 | -1.1% | £2,930 | +4.7% |
| 15 | Enfield | 145,217 | -1.3% | £2,624 | +4.2% |
| 16 | Lambeth | 169,892 | -1.5% | £3,513 | +4.0% |
| 17 | Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham | 153,034 | -1.5% | £3,769 | +4.9% |
| 18 | Haringey and Islington | 240,338 | -1.5% | £3,291 | +4.8% |
| 19 | Brent | 169,580 | -1.6% | £2,738 | +5.0% |
| 20 | Camden | 97,256 | -1.8% | £3,610 | +5.9% |
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].