819,000 fewer on payroll since February 2020

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and HM Revenue and Customs have released the joint Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK: December 2020

There were 28.2 million employees on payroll in November 2020

• The number of payrolled employees in the UK in October 2020 fell by 2.6%, compared with the same period of the previous year.
• Early estimates for November 2020 indicate that the number of payrolled employees fell by 2.7% compared with November 2019, which is a fall of 781,000 employees.
• Since February 2020, 819,000 fewer people were in payrolled employment.
• In November 2020, 28,000 fewer people were in payrolled employment when compared with October 2020.
• Median monthly pay increased by 4.9% in October 2020, compared with the same period of the previous year.
• Early estimates for November 2020 indicate that median monthly pay increased by 4.6%, compared with the same period of the previous year.
• Annual growth in payrolled employees in November 2020 was the highest in Northern Ireland (a fall of 1.0%) and lowest in London (a fall of 5.0%).
• Annual growth in median pay for employees in November 2020 was highest in Wales (an increase of 6.2%) and lowest in the South East (an increase of 4.2%).
• Annual pay growth in the UK for employees was highest at the 10th percentile (positive 5.7%) and lowest at the 75th percentile (positive 3.3%) in the three months to October 2020, for the percentiles we have analysed.
• The increase in payrolled employees between February and November 2020 was largest in the health and social work sector (a rise of 74,000 employees) and smallest in the accommodation and food services sector (a fall of 297,000).
• Annual growth in median pay for employees in November 2020 was highest in the finance and insurance sector (an increase of 6.5%) and lowest in the accommodation and food services sector (a decrease of 4.1%).

PAYadvice.UK 15/12/2020