PAYstats Pay and Labour Market Statistics, March 2026

Latest pay and labour market statistics March 2026:

• The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) rose by 3.2% in the 12 months to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January.
• The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.0% in the 12 months to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January.
• The UK employment rate based on the LFS for people aged 16 to 64 years was estimated at 75.1% in November 2025 to January 2026.
• The UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 years and over was estimated at 5.2% in November 2025 to January 2026.
• The estimated number of vacancies in the UK has remained broadly flat across recent periods. Early estimates for December 2025 to February 2026 suggest a small decrease of 6,000 (0.8%), to 721,000, compared with September to November 2025.
• Annual growth in employees' average regular earnings excluding bonuses in Great Britain was 3.5% in the 12 months to January 2026, and annual growth in total earnings including bonuses was 4.1%.