Jobs hold steady in Sunderland as median pay reaches £2,484 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 118,290 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.0% (+48 workers)
- Annual change
- +106 workers
- Median pay
- £2,484/month (YoY: +4.1%, £97 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.2% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£84 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Sunderland was broadly stable in July 2026, with 118,290 workers on payroll, 106 more than a year ago.
Across the North East, payrolled employment edged down 0.4% over the year to July 2026. Sunderland ranked 2nd of 7 sub-regional areas in the North East by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Sunderland stood at £2,484 in July 2026, up 4.1% 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 Sunderland are now £84 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,912 a month. The total pay bill in Sunderland rose 5.2% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Sunderland 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.
“The employment picture in Sunderland is genuinely encouraging. More people in work and real pay rising means households have more money in their pockets. That kind of momentum matters for local businesses and public services alike.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
North East — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington | 49,457 | +0.2% | £2,501 | +4.3% |
| 2 | Sunderland | 118,290 | +0.1% | £2,484 | +4.1% |
| 3 | Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees | 123,658 | -0.1% | £2,523 | +4.0% |
| 4 | Tyneside | 369,759 | -0.4% | £2,531 | +4.7% |
| 5 | County Durham | 211,110 | -0.5% | £2,497 | +4.6% |
| 6 | South Teesside | 117,255 | -0.7% | £2,433 | +4.8% |
| 7 | Northumberland | 131,486 | -0.9% | £2,486 | +4.6% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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