Employment growth easing in Telford and Wrekin as pay holds at £2,545 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 85,492 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- -0.0% (-19 workers)
- Annual change
- +0.5% (+387 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,545/month (YoY: +4.8%, £116 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +6.3% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£95 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Telford and Wrekin remained 0.5% higher than a year ago in July 2026, but was broadly unchanged on the month, a sign that growth may be moderating.
Across the West Midlands, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to July 2026. Telford and Wrekin ranked 2nd of 14 sub-regional areas in the West Midlands by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Telford and Wrekin stood at £2,545 in July 2026, up 4.8% 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 Telford and Wrekin are now £95 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,949 a month. The total pay bill in Telford and Wrekin rose 6.3% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Telford and Wrekin 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 Telford 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
West Midlands — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry | 168,352 | +1.0% | £2,551 | +4.7% |
| 2 | Telford | 85,492 | +0.4% | £2,545 | +4.8% |
| 3 | Warwickshire CC | 284,293 | +0.4% | £2,760 | +4.2% |
| 4 | Stoke-on-Trent | 115,071 | +0.2% | £2,404 | +4.6% |
| 5 | Walsall | 118,937 | +0.0% | £2,434 | +4.8% |
| 6 | Staffordshire CC | 395,882 | +0.0% | £2,590 | +4.5% |
| 7 | Worcestershire CC | 270,994 | -0.2% | £2,586 | +4.6% |
| 8 | Sandwell | 146,938 | -0.3% | £2,391 | +4.5% |
| 9 | Solihull | 96,898 | -0.3% | £2,763 | +4.4% |
| 10 | Herefordshire | 80,820 | -0.3% | £2,474 | +4.6% |
| 11 | Wolverhampton | 118,332 | -0.5% | £2,447 | +4.6% |
| 12 | Birmingham | 464,770 | -0.5% | £2,442 | +4.6% |
| 13 | Dudley | 138,735 | -0.7% | £2,529 | +5.2% |
| 14 | Shropshire | 133,343 | -0.7% | £2,473 | +5.2% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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