Employee Earnings in Northern Ireland 2026
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees (“weekly
earnings”) in NI were £754 in April 2026, an increase of £44 (6.1%) from
£711 in 2025. This was the sixth consecutive annual increase.
Explore NI weekly
earnings (Section 1.1)
UK weekly earnings increased by £45 (5.8%) to £811 in 2026.
Explore UK weekly
earnings (Section 1.1)
In real terms, NI weekly earnings increased by 3.1% in 2026, the
third consecutive annual increase and are now at their highest level in
the series. UK real weekly earnings increased by 2.8%.
Explore real earnings
(Section 1.2)
Weekly earnings increased across all 12 UK regions in 2026. NI
remained around the middle of the regional earnings rankings, with
median weekly earnings 7.0% below the UK median.
Explore
regional earnings (ONS)
Public sector weekly earnings in NI increased by 5.0% in 2026,
while private sector earnings increased by 6.8%. After adjusting for
inflation, real earnings increased by 1.9% in the public sector, while
those in the private sector increased by 3.7% to their highest level on
record.
Explore
public and private sector earnings (Section 1.4)
Low-paid jobs accounted for 4.0% of employee jobs in NI, up from
the record low of 3.5% in 2025. NI had the highest proportion of
low-paid jobs of the 12 UK regions.
Explore low and high pay (Section
2)
An estimated 1.0% of eligible employee jobs were paid below the
applicable National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage rate in 2026,
similar to the 0.9% in revised 2025 estimates and below the 1.6%
recorded in 2024.
Explore
jobs paid below minimum wage (Section 2.1)
The gender pay gap for all employees in NI narrowed from 7.4% in
2025 to 7.1% in 2026. The equivalent UK gender pay gap was 12.3%.
Explore the gender pay gap (Section
3)
Median annual earnings for full-time employees in NI were £38,200
in 2026, around £2,700 lower than the UK median of £40,900. The highest
10% of full-time earners in NI earned at least £68,400.
Explore
annual earnings (NISRA website)
Weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI increased by 6.1% over the year to £754. Earnings growth has remained strong since 2021, averaging 6.1% per year compared with 2.2% per year on average between 2006 and 2020. The latest increase was also higher than the 5.8% recorded across the UK, the second year in a row that NI growth has exceeded the UK.
Real weekly earnings, which are adjusted for inflation, increased by 3.1% in 2026, the third consecutive annual increase. These recent increases have more than offset falls in 2022 and 2023, and real weekly earnings are now at their highest level in the 20-year series, 7.1% higher than in 2019.
Private sector real earnings increased by 3.7% in 2026, compared with 1.9% in the public sector. This follows the particularly strong increase in public sector earnings in 2025, which partly reflected the implementation of backdated multi-year pay settlements. Since 2019, private sector real earnings have risen by 12.3%, compared with 2.0% in the public sector, although weekly earnings remain higher in the public sector.
The proportion of low-paid jobs increased slightly in 2026, from the record low of 3.5% in 2025 to 4.0%, but remains well below the 26.0% recorded when the National Living Wage was introduced in 2016. NI had the highest proportion of low-paid jobs of the 12 UK regions in 2026. However, high-paid jobs (16.9%) continued to outnumber low-paid jobs by around four to one.
The gender pay gap for all employees in NI narrowed slightly from 7.4% in 2025 to 7.1% in 2026, remaining considerably smaller than the UK gap of 12.3%. Female median hourly earnings were higher than male earnings among both full-time and part-time employees in 2026. However, when the two working patterns are combined, male median hourly earnings remained higher. This is because a higher proportion of females work part-time, where hourly earnings are lower.
The difference between male and female median hourly earnings widened in both the public and private sectors in 2026. In the public sector, males earned £2.60 per hour more than females, the largest difference in the series and, for the first time, slightly greater than in the private sector (£2.54).
The headline measure of earnings from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees. This is referred to throughout the report as “weekly earnings”. The mean is not used to summarise earnings as it is susceptible to small numbers of very high earners. A visual explanation of this (‘Why we use the median in earnings statistics’) is available on the NISRA website.
Unless otherwise stated, earnings comparisons in this report are based on the median. All ASHE data relate to a pay period that includes a reference date in April of the specified year.
Gross weekly pay
includes basic pay, overtime pay,
commissions, shift premium pay, bonus or incentive pay and allowances,
and is before deductions for PAYE, National Insurance, pension schemes,
student loan repayments and voluntary deductions.
Median measures the amount earned by the average
individual, i.e. the level of earnings at which half the population are
above and half the population are below.
Full-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over that is directly paid from a business’s payroll for carrying out more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).
Weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI increased by £44 (6.1%) over the year to £754, the sixth consecutive annual increase.
UK weekly earnings increased by £45 (5.8%) to £811. This was the third largest annual percentage increase in the series.
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI and the UK, April 2006 to April 2026
Over the past 20 years, weekly earnings in NI increased from £403 in 2006 to £754 in 2026, an average increase of around £18 (3.2%) per year.
Following a fall in 2020, weekly earnings in NI have increased in each of the six years from 2021 to 2026. Annual growth over this period has consistently exceeded the longer-term average, with the largest increase recorded in 2021 (8.7%).
UK weekly earnings increased by 5.8% in 2026, the third largest annual percentage increase in the series, after 2023 (7.0%) and 2024 (6.0%).
Weekly earnings increased across all 12 UK regions over the year. NI recorded the fourth largest increase but remains the fifth lowest earning region in the UK, with weekly earnings 7.0% below the UK median, down from being 9.3% below the UK median in 2006.
Nominal earnings
are the actual earnings received by
employees each year, and do not account for the effects of inflation.
Real earnings are earnings with the effects of inflation removed. This provides a comparison of the amount of goods and services that can be bought over time (also known as purchasing power). Real earnings are calculated by adjusting historic earnings data using the UK Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH).
Real weekly earnings increased by £23 (3.1%) in 2026, as earnings continued to grow faster than inflation. Nominal weekly earnings increased by 6.1% over the same period.
This marks the third consecutive annual increase in real earnings, following falls in both 2022 and 2023.
Real weekly earnings are now at their highest level in the series, £50 (7.1%) higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI in nominal and real (2026) terms, April 2006 to April 2026
Over the longer term, growth in cash earnings has exceeded growth in real earnings, reflecting the impact of inflation. Between 2006 and 2026, nominal weekly earnings increased from £403 to £754, a rise of £352. In real terms, however, earnings increased by £49, from £706 to £754. Real earnings in 2023 were no higher than in 2006, so almost all of this real increase has come in the last three years.
Real earnings increased by £23 (3.1%) in 2026, following rises of £20 (2.8%) in 2025 and £6 (0.9%) in 2024. This follows falls of 3.7% in 2022 and 0.7% in 2023.
Between 2019 and 2026, nominal earnings rose by 41.1%, compared with 7.1% for real earnings, illustrating the extent to which inflation accounts for the difference between growth in cash earnings and growth in purchasing power.
Annual change in median gross weekly earnings for employees in NI in nominal and real (2026) terms by working pattern, April 2026
Nominal and real weekly earnings increased over the year for full-time, part-time and all employees (full-time and part-time combined). Full-time employees saw the largest increases, with nominal earnings rising by 6.1% and real earnings by 3.1%. Part-time employees experienced smaller increases of 3.9% in nominal earnings and 0.9% in real earnings. Part-time weekly earnings depend heavily on hours worked, so can change because of hours as well as rates of pay. More on hourly earnings (Section 3.5)
For all employees regardless of working pattern, nominal earnings increased by 5.8% over the year. After adjusting for inflation, real earnings increased by 2.8%.
Female full-time employees recorded the largest increases in earnings over the year, with nominal weekly earnings rising by 8.8% and real earnings by 5.7%.
Male full-time and male part-time employees both saw nominal earnings increase by 5.7%. After adjusting for inflation, real earnings increased by 2.6% for both groups.
Female part-time employees experienced the smallest increases,
with nominal earnings rising by 3.5% and real earnings by 0.5%.
Annual change in median gross weekly earnings for employees in NI in nominal and real (2026) terms by working pattern and gender, April 2026
Earnings increased in both nominal and real terms for male and female employees across both working patterns in 2026, although the size of the increase varied by gender and working pattern.
Overall, the strongest earnings growth in 2026 was among female full-time employees, while female part-time employees experienced the weakest growth.
Public sector
The NI public sector can be broken down
into five areas: NI central government; bodies under the aegis of NI
central government (for example the Arts Council of NI); UK central
government employees based in NI; local government; and public
corporations.
Private sector The private sector encompasses all for-profit businesses that are not owned or operated by government. This does not include any non-profit body or mutual association.
In 2026, public sector weekly earnings were higher in the UK (£862) than in NI (£840), a difference of £22 or 2.6%.
Private sector earnings were also higher in the UK (£794) than in NI (£708), with a much larger gap of £86 or 10.9%.
Over the year, private sector earnings grew faster in NI (6.8%)
than in the UK (5.4%), while public sector earnings grew faster in the
UK (6.5%) than in NI (5.0%).
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in the public and private sectors in NI and the UK, April 2006 to April 2026
Over the past 20 years, public sector weekly earnings in NI and the UK have generally been more closely aligned than private sector earnings. As a result of slower public sector growth in NI, the gap between NI and UK public sector earnings widened over the year, from around £9 in 2025 to over £22 in 2026.
The gap in the private sector was considerably larger, where NI earnings were £86 (10.9%) below the UK. However, this was the smallest private sector percentage gap in the series.
Within both NI and the UK, public sector employees continued to have higher median weekly earnings than private sector employees. The difference was larger in NI, where public sector earnings were 18.6% higher than private sector earnings, compared with around 8.5% across the UK. However, the NI difference has narrowed from the peak of 45.0% in 2012.
Some of the difference between public and private sector earnings reflects differences in the composition of the respective workforces. Further information is available in the ‘NI ASHE public and private sector analysis’ on the ASHE background information webpage.
Real earnings increased in both sectors in 2026, rising by 3.7% in the private sector and 1.9% in the public sector.
Compared with 2019, private sector real earnings are 12.3% higher, while public sector earnings are 2.0% higher.
Annual index of real median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in the public and private sectors in NI, April 2019 to April 2026
Since 2019, the two sectors have followed different paths. Public sector real earnings increased during 2020 and 2021, before falling for three consecutive years to 2024. Increases in both 2025 and 2026 have brought real earnings back above their pre-pandemic level, standing 2.0% higher than in 2019.
Private sector real earnings fell sharply in 2020, but have increased in every year since. By 2026, they were 12.3% above their 2019 level and have reached their highest level on record.
| Year | Public sector (£ per week) | Private sector (£ per week) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 847.8 | 636.1 |
| 2007 | 823.2 | 620.1 |
| 2008 | 820.3 | 624.5 |
| 2009 | 864.9 | 617.4 |
| 2010 | 847.2 | 600.8 |
| 2011 | 843.2 | 592.6 |
| 2012 | 843.4 | 581.5 |
| 2013 | 828.8 | 591.4 |
| 2014 | 808.2 | 573.0 |
| 2015 | 846.1 | 604.8 |
| 2016 | 869.5 | 610.2 |
| 2017 | 856.0 | 611.0 |
| 2018 | 834.1 | 621.6 |
| 2019 | 823.5 | 630.6 |
| 2020 | 841.1 | 600.6 |
| 2021 | 882.3 | 651.2 |
| 2022 | 872.7 | 652.4 |
| 2023 | 808.5 | 658.6 |
| 2024 | 785.6 | 678.3 |
| 2025 | 824.1 | 682.5 |
| 2026 | 840.1 | 708.1 |
Occupation Results are collated using the 2020 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC20).
Median weekly earnings increased across all major occupational groups in 2026.
‘Process, plant and machine operatives’ recorded the largest annual increase, at 6.8%, closely followed by ‘Professional occupations’ at 6.5%.
‘Elementary occupations’ had the smallest increase in weekly
earnings, at 0.9%, followed by ‘Managers, directors and senior
officials’ at 1.9%.
Annual change in median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI by occupation, April 2026
Growth in weekly earnings varied considerably by occupation in 2026. Earnings rose by 5.7% for both ‘Administrative and secretarial occupations’ and ‘Sales and customer service occupations’.
At the other end of the scale, median weekly earnings increased by just 0.9% for ‘Elementary occupations’ and by 1.9% for ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’. The small increase for ‘Elementary occupations’, below the 4.1% rise in the National Living Wage, may reflect changes in hours worked or in the mix of jobs within the group.
Despite relatively modest growth in 2026, ‘Managers, directors and
senior officials’ remained the highest-paid occupational group, with
median weekly earnings of £1,150. ‘Sales and customer service
occupations’ had the lowest median weekly earnings, at £531. Median
weekly earnings for managers were therefore more than twice those of the
lowest-paid occupational group. More detailed data are available on the
NISRA
website.
Industry results are collated using the 2007 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC07).
Median weekly earnings increased in 15 of the 17 industries reported in 2026.
‘Accommodation and food service activities’ recorded the largest annual increase, at 10.3%, followed by ‘Real estate activities’ at 9.6%.
Earnings fell in two industries: ‘Transportation and storage’
(2.1%) and ‘Financial and insurance activities’ (1.6%).
Annual change in median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI by industry, April 2026
Median weekly earnings increased across most industries in 2026, although the size of the increase varied considerably. Earnings also rose notably in ‘Manufacturing’ (8.5%) and ‘Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities’ (8.4%).
Two industries recorded a fall in median weekly earnings. Earnings decreased by 2.1% in ‘Transportation and storage’ and by 1.6% in ‘Financial and insurance activities’.
‘Education’ had the highest median weekly earnings in 2026, at £908,
followed by ‘Information and communication’ at £862. ‘Accommodation and
food service activities’ had the lowest median weekly earnings, at £560,
despite recording the largest annual increase. ‘Agriculture, forestry
and fishing’ had the second-lowest median weekly earnings, at £608. More
detailed data are available on the NISRA
website.
Local Government District (LGD) results are collated using the 2014 Local Government District classification (LGD14).
Employees working in Belfast had the highest median weekly earnings in 2026 (£813), while those working in Causeway Coast & Glens had the lowest, (£641).
Employees living in Lisburn & Castlereagh had the highest median weekly earnings (£815), while those living in Causeway Coast & Glens had the lowest (£666).
Median weekly earnings increased across all 11 LGDs in 2026,
whether measured by employees’ place of work or place of
residence.
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees by work Local Government District, April 2026
Employees working in Belfast had the highest median weekly earnings (£813). This was £47 higher than in Lisburn & Castlereagh (£766), the next highest-paid district, and £173 higher than in Causeway Coast & Glens (£641), where earnings were lowest. Belfast also accounted for just over one third (33.9%) of full-time employee jobs in NI.
The strongest annual growth was in Ards & North Down, where
median weekly earnings increased by 9.8%. This was followed by Armagh
City, Banbridge & Craigavon (8.4%) and Newry, Mourne & Down
(8.0%). Fermanagh & Omagh recorded the smallest increase, at 2.0%.
More detailed data are available on the NISRA
website.
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees by home Local Government District, April 2026
A different pattern emerges when earnings are considered according to where employees live rather than where they work. Employees living in Lisburn & Castlereagh had the highest median weekly earnings in 2026 (£815), followed by those living in Antrim & Newtownabbey (£804). Employees living in Belfast had median weekly earnings of £766.
Causeway Coast & Glens had the lowest median weekly earnings by place of residence (£666), and was therefore the lowest-paid LGD on both a workplace and residence basis in 2026.
Earnings increased for residents of all 11 LGDs over the year. The largest increases were in Antrim & Newtownabbey (10.3%) and Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon (10.2%), while Fermanagh & Omagh recorded the smallest increase, at 2.5%.
The differences between the workplace and residence measures reflect
commuting patterns and the location of higher-paid jobs. Belfast and
Derry City & Strabane were the only LGDs where earnings were higher
by place of work than by place of residence, while residents of Antrim
& Newtownabbey earned £66 a week more than people working there.
More detailed data are available on the NISRA
website.
Total weekly paid hours worked is made up of paid basic hours and paid overtime hours. It is calculated using employees on adult rates whose pay was unaffected by absence. It includes people on paid leave, but excludes people on statutory sick and maternity pay.
38.8% of employees worked between 37 and 40 paid hours per week in 2026.
A 37-hour week was the most common working pattern, accounting for 21.3% of employees, while 40 hours accounted for a further 9.5%.
28.0% of employees worked fewer than 30 paid hours per week,
while 9.4% worked more than 42 hours.
Distribution of total weekly paid hours for all employees in NI, April 2026
The distribution of paid working hours remained concentrated around a standard full-time working week in 2026. 38.8% of employees worked between 37 and 40 hours per week, with the largest peak at 37 hours, which accounted for 21.3% of employees. A further 9.5% worked 40 hours per week.
Working patterns outside these main peaks were more varied. 28.0% of employees worked fewer than 30 paid hours per week, reflecting the range of part-time working patterns, while 9.4% worked more than 42 hours.
Overall, the distribution remains similar to 2025. The proportion working between 37 and 40 hours was 38.8%, compared with 38.2% a year earlier, while the proportions working shorter and longer weeks changed only slightly.
At £17.25, median hourly pay for all employees (full-time and part-time combined) in NI is the third lowest of all 12 UK regions and is £1.75 below the UK median (£19.00). NI has been below most other UK regions throughout the series.
The National Living Wage (NLW) was introduced by the Government on 1 April 2016. From 1 April 2026, it is set at £12.71 per hour for those aged 21 and over.
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) applies to workers below the age of 21. From 1 April 2026, the age-based rates range from £8.00 to £10.85 per hour. Further details and a full breakdown of historical rates can be found in section 4.
The peak of jobs around the National Living Wage (NLW) fell in 2026, from 12.5% in 2025 to 9.8% in 2026, leaving it 4.3 percentage points below the 2018 high.
An estimated 1.0% of eligible employee jobs were paid below the
applicable National Minimum Wage (NMW) or NLW rate in 2026, similar to
the 0.9% in 2025.
Gross hourly earnings distribution for all employees in NI, April 2002 to April 2026
Note: Density shows the proportion of jobs with hourly earnings within 20 pence either side of the shown pay rate. The horizontal axis does not start at zero.
Figure 10 shows how the distribution of hourly earnings in NI has changed since 2002. The distribution is concentrated towards the lower end of the earnings range and becomes progressively thinner at higher hourly rates.
A clear feature over the period is the movement of the main earnings peak to the right as minimum wage rates have increased. This reflects the concentration of jobs with hourly earnings at, or close to, the NMW and NLW.
The size of this peak has changed considerably over time. It became increasingly pronounced during the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a high of 14.1% in 2018. The peak then fell sharply during the pandemic, when the usual distribution of earnings was disrupted. In 2020 and, to a lesser extent, 2021, a separate concentration of jobs also appeared at around 80% of the NLW, reflecting the impact of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The concentration around the NLW strengthened again in subsequent years, reaching 12.5% in revised 2025 estimates, before falling to 9.8% in 2026. The peak nevertheless continued to shift towards higher hourly rates as the NLW increased.
A separate hourly earnings measure, calculated in line with ONS methodology and excluding overtime and shift premium payments, is used to estimate the proportion of jobs paid below the applicable NMW or NLW. On this measure, 1.0% of eligible employee jobs were estimated to be below the minimum wage in 2026, compared with 0.9% in revised 2025 estimates.
The proportion remains close to pre-pandemic levels, including 1.1% in 2019, and substantially below the unusually high estimates recorded in 2020 (11.2%) and 2021 (5.8%), when earnings were affected by furlough. Please note that ASHE estimates of jobs below the NMW/NLW cannot be used as a measure of non-compliance, because survey data cannot always establish eligibility.
The following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) definitions of low pay and high pay are used:
Low pay is defined as two-thirds of UK median hourly earnings (e.g. £19.00 × 2/3 = £12.67 in 2026).
High pay is defined as 1.5 times UK median hourly earnings (e.g. £19.00 × 1.5 = £28.50 in 2026).
Low-paid jobs accounted for 4.0% of employee jobs in 2026, up 0.5 percentage points from the record low of 3.5% in 2025.
The proportion of low-paid jobs remains substantially below the 26.0% recorded in 2016, when the National Living Wage was introduced.
The proportion of high-paid jobs was greater than the proportion
of low-paid jobs for the fifth consecutive year.
Proportion of low-paid, middle-paid and high-paid employee jobs in NI, April 2006 to April 2026
The fall in low pay since 2016 has been driven by increases in the National Living Wage (NLW). The NLW (£12.71) is now slightly above the low-pay threshold (£12.67), so most remaining low-paid jobs are held by people on youth or apprentice rates.
Over the same period, the proportion of middle-paid jobs increased substantially. Middle-paid jobs accounted for 79.0% of employee jobs in 2026, compared with 53.9% in 2016, an increase of 25.1 percentage points. Although this was slightly lower than the 79.7% recorded in 2025, middle-paid jobs continue to make up around four in five employee jobs.
The proportion of high-paid jobs was unchanged over the year at 16.9%. While this remains below the levels typically seen before the pandemic, high-paid jobs continued to account for a considerably larger share of employment than low-paid jobs.
Full-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over who is directly paid from a business’s payroll for carrying out more than 30 paid hours per week, or 25 or more hours per week for the teaching professions.
Part-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over working 30 or fewer paid hours per week, or fewer than 25 hours per week for the teaching professions.
Industry results are collated using the 2007 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC07).
Occupation results are collated using the 2020 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC20).
10.4% of part-time employee jobs were low-paid in 2026, compared with 1.2% of full-time jobs.
Almost half (45.0%) of employee jobs held by 16- to 21-year-olds were low-paid.
‘Accommodation and food service activities’ had the largest proportion of low-paid jobs (28.3%), while ‘Education’ had the largest proportion of high-paid jobs (36.2%).
‘Sales and customer service occupations’ had the largest
proportion of low-paid jobs (17.5%), while ‘Managers, directors and
senior officials’ had the largest proportion of high-paid jobs
(49.4%).
Low-paid, middle-paid and high-paid employee jobs in NI by working pattern, age, industry and occupation, April 2026
Part-time jobs were substantially more likely to be low-paid than full-time jobs. Conversely, 20.5% of full-time jobs were high-paid, more than twice the proportion among part-time jobs (8.7%). Further information on differences in pay between full-time and part-time employees is available in Section 3.6.
Age was also strongly associated with the distribution of pay. Almost half (45.0%) of employee jobs held by 16- to 21-year-olds were low-paid, compared with 1.1% or less for every other age group, reflecting the lower minimum wage rates for under-21s. Only 0.7% of jobs held by 16- to 21-year-olds were high-paid. Employees aged 40 to 49 had the smallest proportion of low-paid jobs (0.4%) and the largest proportion of high-paid jobs (25.2%), closely followed by those aged 50 to 59 (24.6%).
The proportion of low-paid jobs also varied widely by industry. ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ had the largest proportion (28.3%), followed by ‘Arts, entertainment and recreation’ (14.7%). Low-paid jobs also accounted for 10.9% of jobs in both ‘Other service activities’ and ‘Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles’.
At the other end of the distribution, ‘Education’ had the largest proportion of high-paid jobs (36.2%), followed by ‘Information and communication’ (33.5%) and ‘Financial and insurance activities’ (27.0%). The proportion of low-paid jobs rounded to 0.0% in both ‘Real estate activities’ and ‘Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities’.
There were also substantial differences by occupation. ‘Sales and customer service occupations’ had the largest proportion of low-paid jobs (17.5%), followed by ‘Elementary occupations’ (16.3%). The remaining jobs in each of these occupational groups were almost entirely middle-paid jobs.
In contrast, almost half (49.4%) of jobs in ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’ were high-paid, the largest proportion of any occupational group, while no jobs in this group were recorded as low-paid. ‘Professional occupations’ had the next highest proportion of high-paid jobs (40.5%), with 0.6% classified as low-paid. No high-paid jobs were recorded in ‘Caring, leisure and other service occupations’.
NI had the highest proportion of low-paid jobs of all UK regions in 2026, at 4.0%.
NI had the lowest ratio of high-paid to low-paid jobs of the 12 UK regions.
There were just over four times as many high-paid as low-paid jobs in NI in 2026.
Ratio of high-paid to low-paid employee jobs by UK Government region, April 2026
Across the UK as a whole, 2.8% of jobs were low-paid. London had the lowest proportion of low-paid jobs, at 1.4%, followed by Scotland at 2.3%.
The next lowest ratios after NI were in the North East, East Midlands and Wales, all having a ratio of 5.0. In all UK regions, the proportion of high-paid jobs remained greater than the proportion of low-paid jobs.
London had by far the highest ratio, with just over 31 times as many high-paid as low-paid jobs, followed by Scotland at around 10 times. The UK overall ratio was 8.4.
Various methods can be used to measure the earnings of females relative to males. This section of the report leads with the gender pay gap for all employees before disaggregating by sector, age of employee, occupation and working pattern.
The majority of the analysis is based on the median hourly earnings excluding overtime; including overtime can distort the picture as males work relatively more overtime than females. Using hourly earnings better accounts for the fact that males work, on average, more hours per week than females (see Figure 20).
Although median hourly pay excluding overtime provides a useful comparison of male and female earnings, it is a measure across all jobs and not a measure of the difference in pay between men and women doing the same job.
Gross hourly earnings (excluding overtime) includes basic pay, commissions, shift premium pay, bonus or incentive pay and allowances, and is before deductions for PAYE, National Insurance, pension schemes, student loan repayments and voluntary deductions.
Gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of males and females, as a proportion of the median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of males.
\[ \color{#00205b}{ \frac{\small\textsf{Male earnings} - \small\textsf{Female earnings}} {\small\textsf{Male earnings}} \times 100 } \] How to use these statistics – ASHE estimates cannot be directly compared to the mandatory employer-reported gender pay gap statistics published through the UK Government’s Gender Pay Gap Service, because the two measures are designed for different purposes and use different data sources, populations and methodologies.
In 2026, considering all employees regardless of working pattern, females earned 7.1% less than males in NI — equivalent to 93p for every £1 earned by males.
The NI gender pay gap decreased by 0.3 percentage points over the year, from 7.4% in 2025 to 7.1% in 2026.
In the UK, females earned 12.3% less than males in 2026, with the
gender pay gap remaining wider than in NI.
Gender pay gap for all employees in NI and the UK, April 2006 to April 2026
The gender pay gap for all employees, regardless of working pattern, has consistently been in favour of males in both NI and the UK. However, the difference between male and female median hourly earnings has narrowed considerably over the last two decades.
The NI gap has fallen from 7.4% in 2025 to 7.1% in 2026. It remains higher than the particularly low levels recorded in 2020 (5.9%) and 2021 (4.7%), when earnings patterns were affected by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but is lower than in every year in the period 1997-2020.
The UK gender pay gap also decreased in 2026, from 12.9% to 12.3%, the lowest rate in the series. Although the UK gap has consistently been larger than the NI gap, both have narrowed substantially since 2006. The NI gender pay gap has fallen from 14.0% in 2006 to 7.1% in 2026, while the UK gap has fallen from 22.2% to 12.3%.
The difference between the NI and UK gender pay gaps was 5.2 percentage points in 2026, compared with 5.5 percentage points in 2025. This is equal to the smallest difference recorded in the series, previously seen in 2024.
In 2026, male employees earned £2.60 per hour more than female employees in the public sector, up from a difference of £1.69 in 2025.
In the private sector, males earned £2.54 per hour more than females, compared with £2.20 in 2025.
The difference between male and female hourly earnings in the
public sector was the largest recorded in the series and, for the first
time, was slightly greater than the difference in the private
sector.
Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for all employees in NI by sector and gender, April 2006 to April 2026
Median hourly earnings were higher in the public sector than in the private sector for both males and females in 2026. Within each sector, males also had higher median hourly earnings than females. Public sector males earned £22.53 per hour compared with £19.93 for females, while private sector males earned £16.56 compared with £14.02 for females.
When expressed as a percentage of male earnings, the gender pay gap was larger in the private sector (15.3%) than in the public sector (11.5%).
The public sector gap has varied more over time, and females earned more than males in 2020. The private sector shows a more consistent pattern, with male median hourly earnings higher than female earnings in every year since 2006. The difference has generally remained at around £2 per hour.
The sharper widening in the public sector in 2026 reflects stronger annual earnings growth among males. Public sector male median hourly earnings increased by 10.8%, compared with 6.9% for females. In the private sector, male earnings increased by 6.2%, compared with 4.7% for females. Estimates by sector and gender are based on smaller samples, so single-year changes should be treated with caution.
Earnings were broadly similar for males and females aged under 30.
The 50 to 59 age group had the largest gender pay gap in favour of males (16.0%).
Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for all employees in NI by age and gender, April 2026
In 2026, males had higher median hourly earnings than females in five of the six age groups. The difference was very small among employees aged under 30. Males aged 18 to 21 earned £12.74 per hour compared with £12.72 for females, while females aged 22 to 29 earned slightly more than males, at £15.51 compared with £15.48.
The gender pay gap was wider among older age groups. For employees aged 30 to 39, males earned £1.35 per hour more than females, equivalent to a gender pay gap of 7.0%. The gap was smaller among those aged 40 to 49 (4.3%), before increasing to 16.0% for those aged 50 to 59 and 10.8% for those aged 60 and over.
Female median hourly earnings were highest among those aged 40 to 49, at £19.37 per hour. Male earnings peaked slightly later, at £20.45 for those aged 50 to 59. The particularly large gap among the 50 to 59 age group reflected female hourly earnings falling to £17.17 while male earnings remained above £20 per hour.
Occupation: Results are collated using the 2020 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC20).
Males had higher median hourly earnings than females in eight of the nine occupational groups in 2026.
‘Process, plant and machine operatives’ had the largest gender pay gap in favour of males, at 10.2%, followed by ‘Skilled trades occupations’ at 9.5%.
‘Caring, leisure and other service occupations’ was the only
occupational group where median hourly earnings were higher for females
than males, with a gender pay gap of 2.2% in favour of females.
Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for all employees in NI by occupation and gender, April 2026
The gender pay gap varied considerably by occupation in 2026, ranging from 2.0% to 10.2% in the eight groups where males earned more.
The largest gender pay gap was among ‘Process, plant and machine operatives’, where males earned £15.48 per hour compared with £13.90 for females, a gap of 10.2%. This was followed by ‘Skilled trades occupations’, in which males earned £17.08 per hour compared with £15.46 for females, a gap of 9.5%.
Gender pay gaps were also relatively wide in ‘Associate professional and technical occupations’ (8.2%), ‘Professional occupations’ (8.0%) and ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’ (7.9%). Despite having the highest hourly earnings of all occupational groups, ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’ no longer had the largest gender pay gap.
The smallest gap in favour of males was in ‘Elementary occupations’ (2.0%). Gaps were also relatively small in ‘Sales and customer service occupations’ (2.2%) and ‘Administrative and secretarial occupations’ (2.3%).
In ‘Caring, leisure and other service occupations’, females earned £14.67 per hour compared with £14.36 for males.
Full-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over who is directly paid from a business’s payroll for carrying out more than 30 paid hours per week, or 25 or more for the teaching professions.
Part-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over working 30 or fewer paid hours per week, or fewer than 25 for the teaching professions.
In 2026, median hourly earnings were higher for females than males among both full-time and part-time employees.
Female full-time employees earned £19.32 per hour compared with £19.02 for males, while female part-time employees earned £14.33 compared with £13.50 for males.
When full-time and part-time employees were combined, males had
higher median hourly earnings than females (£17.84 compared with
£16.58).
Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for employees in NI by working pattern and gender, April 2026
Female full-time employees earned 30p per hour more than males, while female part-time employees earned 83p more. However, when full-time and part-time employees are considered together, the pattern is reversed, with males earning £1.26 per hour more than females. This is because a higher proportion of females work part-time, where hourly earnings are lower.
Differences between full-time and part-time earnings are examined further in the next sub-section.
Working pattern pay gap is calculated as the difference between the median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of full-time and part-time employees, as a proportion of the median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of full-time employees.
\[ \color{#00205b}{ \frac{\small\textsf{Full-time earnings} - \small\textsf{Part-time earnings}} {\small\textsf{Full-time earnings}} \times 100 } \]
The working pattern pay gap in NI was 26.8% in 2026, an increase of 2.7 percentage points from 24.1% in 2025.
The UK working pattern pay gap decreased slightly to 27.9% in 2026.
The difference between the NI and UK working pattern pay gaps
narrowed to 1.1 percentage points, the smallest difference in the
series.
Working pattern pay gap for all employees in NI and the UK, April 2006 to April 2026
When comparing median hourly earnings excluding overtime for full-time and part-time employees, full-time employees have consistently had higher earnings throughout the series. In NI, the working pattern pay gap has ranged from 22.6% in 2008 to 32.8% in 2015.
The increase in 2026 was the first annual increase in the NI working pattern pay gap since 2021, following four consecutive years in which the gap had narrowed. Despite the increase, the gap remained 6.0 percentage points below the series high recorded in 2015.
The UK working pattern pay gap decreased slightly over the year, from 28.2% in 2025 to 27.9% in 2026, the lowest level recorded in the series. The UK gap has remained higher than the NI gap in every year since 2006.
The contrasting annual movements brought the two rates closer
together in 2026.
Total paid hours worked is made up of paid basic hours and paid overtime hours. It is calculated using employees on adult rates whose pay was unaffected by absence.
Mean total weekly paid hours worked is the preferred measure of hours worked since it is more responsive to changes in hours across the whole population because of the clustering of hours worked.
Full-time males worked 2.4 more paid hours per week than full-time females in 2026.
Part-time females worked 1.5 more paid hours per week than part-time males.
Across all employees, males worked 6.5 more paid hours per week
than females.
Mean weekly paid hours worked by employees in NI by working pattern and gender, April 2026
Differences in paid hours worked between males and females varied by working pattern in 2026. Full-time males worked an average of 39.7 paid hours per week, compared with 37.3 hours for full-time females, a difference of 2.4 hours.
The pattern was reversed for part-time employees. Part-time females worked an average of 18.5 paid hours per week, 1.5 hours more than part-time males, who worked 17.0 hours.
When full-time and part-time employees are considered together, males worked an average of 35.8 paid hours per week compared with 29.3 hours for females, a difference of 6.5 hours. This larger difference reflects the higher proportion of females working part-time. Across all employees, the mean working week was 32.4 paid hours.
Differences in hours worked are important when comparing annual earnings between males and females, as annual earnings reflect both hourly rates of pay and the number of paid hours worked.
ASHE data
The headline tables and detailed outputs from the 2026 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), along with historical data, are available on the NISRA website. Previous ASHE publications are also available online.
Alternative sources of employee earnings information - HMRC
PAYE
Monthly statistics on payrolled employees and their earnings, based on HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) system, are available on the NISRA and ONS websites.
HMRC PAYE RTI is the system used by employers to deduct Income Tax and National Insurance contributions before wages are paid to employees. The data relate to employees paid through PAYE and do not include self-employment income or income from pensions, property rental or investments.
PAYE data are based on where employees live rather than the location of their place of work within the UK. The data are seasonally adjusted but are not adjusted for inflation. HMRC PAYE data cover the whole population of payrolled employees rather than a sample of employees or businesses. The PAYE RTI statistics have been accredited official statistics since July 2025.
ASHE remains the principal source of information on employee earnings and is an accredited official statistic. PAYE estimates provide a timelier indication of trends in employee earnings and are also accredited official statistics.
PAYE does not distinguish between full-time and part-time employment and includes employees whose pay was affected by absence. It also measures pay per person, which may include pay from more than one job, whereas ASHE measures pay per job.
The most comparable ASHE measure to median earnings from PAYE is median gross weekly earnings for all employees, including those working part-time. A comparison of ASHE and PAYE data using April data from both sources shows that PAYE estimates are typically lower, although both sources show a similar trend. A likely reason for this difference is that ASHE excludes employees whose pay was affected by absence and those not on adult rates of pay, while PAYE includes these employees.
Further information on the differences between the two sources has been published by HMRC and ONS.
Methodology
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is a UK-wide survey that provides a broad range of information on earnings and hours worked. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out ASHE in Great Britain, while the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) carries out the survey in Northern Ireland.
The survey information relates to the pay week, or other pay period where an employee is paid less frequently, which included 22 April 2026, the reference date for the latest survey. The results are therefore not necessarily representative of pay over a longer period. They do not take account of subsequent changes in rates of pay that became effective after April, or changes introduced retrospectively after survey returns had been completed.
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, earnings estimates were affected by changes in the composition of the workforce and the impact of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), making interpretation more difficult. In particular, the 2020 and 2021 estimates are subject to greater uncertainty and should be treated with caution. Annual earnings estimates for 2022, which relate to the 2021/22 financial year, were also affected during the first six months of that period. Users are therefore encouraged to focus on longer-term trends rather than year-on-year changes when considering these periods.
Gender pay gap
While our measure is based on reported sex categories (men and women), we use the term gender pay gap because it is the internationally recognised and widely used name for this statistic.
These statistics are based on the ASHE and are separate from mandatory employer-reported gender pay gap statistics published through the UK Government’s Gender Pay Gap Service. The two measures use different data sources, populations and methodologies and are designed for different purposes. More detail is available in the ASHE quality and methodology information (QMI) report.
Coverage and sampling
As in previous years, the survey sample comprised approximately 1% of all employees in Northern Ireland who were covered by PAYE schemes. An individual who is included in more than one PAYE scheme may therefore appear in the sample more than once.
Information on earnings and hours is obtained in confidence from employers under the authority of the Statistics of Trade and Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 1988. Information collected is treated as strictly confidential and is used only for statistical purposes. Published analyses do not disclose information about identifiable individuals or private businesses.
ASHE estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. The coefficient of variation (CV) provides an indication of the quality of an estimate. It is calculated as the standard error of an estimate divided by the estimate itself, expressed as a percentage. The smaller the CV, the greater the precision of the estimate.
CVs are published alongside the estimates, and those for the key ASHE estimates are shown in Table 1 below.
| Pay variable | Gender | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross weekly earnings | Males | 2.1 | 5.7 |
| Females | 1.2 | 3.2 | |
| All | 1.1 | 2.7 | |
| Median gross hourly earnings (excluding overtime) | Males | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Females | 1.7 | 1.6 | |
| All | 1.0 | 0.8 |
Weighting
ASHE data are weighted to UK population totals from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), based on classes defined by region, occupation, age and sex.
LFS data for 2021 and 2022 were affected by an issue with occupation coding using SOC20, as set out in this ONS update. As 1-digit occupation is used in the ASHE weighting process, estimates may be affected. Initial analysis indicated that the impact was likely to be minimal.
Rounding and revisions
Weekly earnings are rounded to the nearest pound, hourly earnings to the nearest penny and percentages to one decimal place. Changes and gaps are calculated from unrounded data.
In line with normal practice, this release contains revised estimates from the 2025 survey results previously published. These revised estimates take account of corrections to the original 2025 data identified during the validation of the 2026 results, as well as late returns.
The 2026 results presented in this report are provisional and will be revised alongside next year’s results.
Methodology changes - 2004 to date
The ASHE bulletin presents the latest data in the context of long-term trends. Users should therefore be aware of a number of methodological changes that have taken place since the survey was introduced, particularly in 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2022.
For 2004 and 2006, two sets of results are available, based on the existing and updated methodologies at the time. Data used in this report relate to the updated methodology, and superseded estimates have not been included in the time series charts.
The impact of methodological changes generally increases as the size of the group being considered decreases. Broad trends over time can therefore be considered with greater confidence, while more caution should be exercised when making comparisons across smaller groups, such as individual occupations and industries.
| Year | Change | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Change in occupation coding from SOC2010 to SOC 2020 | Occupations are used to weight ASHE results. Estimates before 2021 not directly comparable with later estimates. |
| 2013 | Change in sample frame from PAYE to RTI PAYE | Small impact on coverage |
| 2012 | Change in occupation coding from SOC2000 to SOC 2010 | Occupations are used to weight ASHE results. Estimates before 2011 not directly comparable with later estimates. |
| 2009 | Change in industry classification from SIC 2003 to SIC 2007 | Industries not directly comparable. |
| 2007 | Sample design improvements | Results between 2004-2007 not directly comparable |
| 2004 | ASHE replaced the New Earnings Survey | Coverage improved |
Note: Changes introduced in 2007, 2012 and 2022 create breaks involving revised 2006, 2011 and 2021 estimates.
Mean, Median and Percentiles
The mean and the median measure different things and either can be
appropriate depending on what the user is trying to measure. The mean
measures the average amount earned by individuals, but in a skewed
distribution such as earnings this measure is susceptible to small
numbers of very high earners. The median measures the amount earned by
the average individual, i.e. the level of earnings at which half the
population are above and half the population are below. A visual
explanation of this (‘Why we use the median in earnings statistics’) is
available on the NISRA
website. Please note that changes in median values for sub-sectors
of the population are not necessarily additive at the population
level.
A percentile is a statistical measure which shows the value below which a given percentage of observations fall, i.e. the 10th percentile is the value below which the lowest earning 10% of employees fall, and the 50th percentile (median) is the value below which 50% of employees fall.
National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage
(NMW)
The NLW rate that applied in April 2026 was £12.71 per hour for
employees aged 21 and over. The NMW rates that applied in April 2026
were £10.85 for employees aged 18 to 20 and £8.00 for employees aged
under 18 and apprentices. The following table provides a breakdown of
NLWs and NMWs since April 2008.
| Year | 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12.71 | 10.85 | 8.00 | 8.00 | |
| 2025 | 12.21 | 10.00 | 7.55 | 7.55 | |
| 2024 | 11.44 | 8.60 | 6.40 | 6.40 | |
| 23 and over | 21 to 22 | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
| 2023 | 10.42 | 10.18 | 7.49 | 5.28 | 5.28 |
| 2022 | 9.50 | 9.18 | 6.83 | 4.81 | 4.81 |
| 2021 | 8.91 | 8.36 | 6.56 | 4.62 | 4.30 |
| 25 and over | 21 to 24 | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
| 2020 | 8.72 | 8.20 | 6.45 | 4.55 | 4.15 |
| 2019 | 8.21 | 7.70 | 6.15 | 4.35 | 3.90 |
| 2018 | 7.83 | 7.38 | 5.90 | 4.20 | 3.70 |
| 2017 | 7.50 | 7.05 | 5.60 | 4.05 | 3.50 |
| 2016 (Oct 16 to Mar 17) | 7.20 | 6.95 | 5.55 | 4.00 | 3.40 |
| 2016 (Apr 16 to Sep 16)* | 7.20 | 6.70 | 5.30 | 3.87 | 3.30 |
| 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | ||
| 2015 | 6.70 | 5.30 | 3.87 | 3.30 | |
| 2014 | 6.50 | 5.13 | 3.79 | 2.73 | |
| 2013 | 6.31 | 5.03 | 3.72 | 2.68 | |
| 2012 | 6.19 | 4.98 | 3.68 | 2.65 | |
| 2011 | 6.08 | 4.98 | 3.68 | 2.60 | |
| 2010 | 5.93 | 4.92 | 3.64 | 2.50 | |
| 22 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | |||
| 2009 | 5.80 | 4.83 | 3.57 | ||
| 2008 | 5.73 | 4.77 | 3.53 |
*Introduction of the National Living Wage for those aged 25 and over.
More information on National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates is available on the GOV.UK website.
Accredited Official Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.
These statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in September 2011 following a full assessment against the Code of Practice for Statistics.
They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics and are therefore designated as Accredited Official Statistics. Accredited Official Statistics are referred to as National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
Further information is available on the OSR Accredited Official Statistics webpage.
OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should follow. It is our responsibility to maintain compliance with these standards, and our statistical practice is regulated by OSR.
We welcome comments on how we meet these standards. You can contact us directly using the details at the top of this publication.
Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or through the OSR website.
Please contact Dissemination Branch for assistance with accessibility requirements or alternative formats. Contact details are:
Email: info@nisra.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836
Dissemination Branch
NISRA
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