Nottingham jobs show signs of recovery as median pay reaches £2,382 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 134,525 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+197 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.4% (-497 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,382/month (YoY: +4.8%, £110 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.5% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£120 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Nottingham fell 0.4% over the year to July 2026, with 134,525 workers on payroll. However, in the most recent month employers added 197 workers, a tentative sign that confidence may be returning.
Across the East Midlands, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to July 2026. Nottingham ranked 9th of 11 sub-regional areas in the East Midlands by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Nottingham stood at £2,382 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 Nottingham are now £120 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,788 a month. The total pay bill in Nottingham rose 5.5% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Nationally, 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.
“Compared to this time last year employers are reporting a reduction in the number of people on payroll. But the shorter term picture for jobs in Nottingham is more encouraging. Maybe this is evidence of the dial turning. And pay is still nudging ahead inflation. Hopefully these are are the right signals.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
East Midlands — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Northamptonshire | 174,000 | +0.5% | unknown | unknown |
| 2 | Leicestershire CC and Rutland | 343,352 | +0.2% | £2,636 | +3.9% |
| 3 | South Nottinghamshire | 157,562 | +0.0% | £2,689 | +4.7% |
| 4 | North Nottinghamshire | 214,442 | +0.0% | £2,509 | +4.6% |
| 5 | Leicester | 170,252 | -0.1% | £2,328 | +5.2% |
| 6 | Derby | 119,065 | -0.2% | £2,522 | +4.8% |
| 7 | West Northamptonshire | 207,137 | -0.2% | unknown | unknown |
| 8 | East Derbyshire | 125,688 | -0.3% | £2,508 | +4.6% |
| 9 | Nottingham | 134,525 | -0.4% | £2,382 | +4.8% |
| 10 | Lincolnshire CC | 333,458 | -0.5% | £2,491 | +4.9% |
| 11 | South and West Derbyshire | 229,916 | -0.7% | £2,600 | +4.5% |
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].