Walsall jobs show signs of recovery as median pay reaches £2,434 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 118,937 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.0% (+13 workers)
- Annual change
- -3 workers
- Median pay
- £2,434/month (YoY: +4.8%, £112 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +6.1% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£107 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Walsall was broadly stable over the year to July 2026, with 118,937 workers on payroll. However, in the most recent month employers added 13 workers, a tentative sign that confidence may be returning.
Across the West Midlands, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to July 2026. Walsall ranked 5th of 14 sub-regional areas in the West Midlands by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Walsall stood at £2,434 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 Walsall are now £107 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,845 a month. The total pay bill in Walsall rose 6.1% 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.
“Real pay growth in Walsall is a positive story. Working people are ahead of inflation for the first time in some time. The challenge now is sustaining it.”
— 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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