Jobs hold steady in Monmouthshire and Newport as median pay reaches £2,633 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 112,536 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+66 workers)
- Annual change
- +57 workers
- Median pay
- £2,633/month (YoY: +4.2%, £107 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.4% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£78 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Monmouthshire and Newport was broadly stable in July 2026, with 112,536 workers on payroll, 57 more than a year ago.
Across Wales, payrolled employment edged down 0.5% over the year to July 2026. Monmouthshire and Newport ranked 1st of 10 sub-regional areas in Wales by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Monmouthshire and Newport stood at £2,633 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 Monmouthshire and Newport are now £78 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,039 a month. The total pay bill in Monmouthshire and Newport rose 4.4% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Monmouthshire and Newport 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.
“Monmouthshire and Newport is outperforming the national picture and stronger employment and better pay growth points to a local economy that is working well for all. Understanding what’s driving that is as important as celebrating it.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, 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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