Somerset workers 'now £101 a month better off' than in 2022

The latest analysis of HMRC Real Time Information and ONS consumer price data by WageSight shows the median pay packet in Somerset rose from last year at the second highest rate of any county in the South West.

The rise is equivalent to an extra £131 a month for the average worker, comfortably ahead of annual inflation, which stood at 2.97 per cent.

After the surge in prices from 2022, real earnings in the county had been squeezed, but the new figures suggest that trend may be easing in some areas.

WageSight’s analysis indicates workers in Somerset are now £101 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median pay stood at £1,912.

The total pay bill to all Somerset workers rose by 4.8 per cent over the year, faster than worker headcount. This points to improving average earnings per worker, rather than growth being driven purely by more jobs.

Payrolled employment in Somerset slipped slightly by 0.1 per cent over the year to June 2026, leaving 245,938 workers on payroll.

That's an annual fall of 307 workers. The most recent monthly data show employers added 17 workers in the month to June 2026.

Paul Hebden, director at Campaign Salience, said the figures suggest a shift after several years in which rising prices have outpaced pay.

"After a sustained period of pressure on household finances, we’re starting to see the dial turn in Somerset.

"Employment is holding up and pay is beginning to outpace inflation. It’s early, but these are the right signals."

Nationally, payrolled employment followed a similar pattern, falling 0.2 per cent over the year to June.

In May 2026, the most recent month for which flow data are available, 599,257 workers entered payrolled employment across the UK while 596,423 left, a net gain of 2,834 workers.