UK private sector wages grow at slowest pace since 2020

Private sector wages grew just 2.8% in the three months to June 2026 — the slowest since 2020 — while government worker pay jumped 6.1%, helped by NHS pay deals. Unemployment stayed at 4.9%. The ONS's Liz McKeown said the jobs market was "softening." This split makes it harder for the Bank of England to decide whether to change interest rates.