Employment growth easing in Hackney and Newham as pay holds at £2,833 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 327,576 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.1% (-326 workers)
- Annual change
- +0.1% (+346 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,833/month (YoY: +4.6%, £124 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +6.1% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£43 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Hackney and Newham remained 0.1% higher than a year ago in July 2026, but slipped 0.1% on the month, a sign that growth may be moderating.
Across London, payrolled employment edged down 0.8% over the year to July 2026. Hackney and Newham ranked 2nd of 20 sub-regional areas in London by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Hackney and Newham stood at £2,833 in July 2026, up 4.6% 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 Hackney and Newham are now £43 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,241 a month. The total pay bill in Hackney and Newham rose 6.1% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Hackney and Newham 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.
“Employment in Hackney and Newham continues to grow, but the pace is beginning to ease. After a period of strong momentum, some moderation is not unexpected, the question is whether this represents a healthy consolidation or the early signs of a slowdown. The next few months of data will be telling.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, 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.
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