Introduction This note summarises trends in pay in London and the UK since 2010 and compares them to inflation trends. The focus is on median gross weekly earnings for all employees (full- and part-time) working in London. The counterfactual analysis is based on annual pay estimates. Notes on the data The employee pay estimates in this note do not cover self-employed jobs and come from a survey of UK businesses. There are, moreover, several discontinuities in the ONS ASHE series (e.g. in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021). The growth rates calculated over these periods are illustrative, not precise figures. During the pandemic earnings estimates were affected by compositional changes and the furlough scheme, making interpretation more difficult. Data collection disruption and lower response rates also mean that estimates for 2020 and 2021 are subject to greater uncertainty. Real earnings (earnings adjusted for inflation) have been calculated by adjusting nominal (unadjusted) earnings using the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH). The CPIH is the most comprehensive measure of inflation in the UK.
