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Pay data: three months to January 2026

Various research bodies have published pay data for the three months to the end of January 2026 as well as a look forward for the rest of 2026.

  • Brightmine data reveals that median basic pay awards have increased slightly to 3.2% for the three months to the end of January 2026, marginally higher than the level recorded for the whole of 2025 (3%).
  • Incomes Data Research focuses on the private sector and shows the median pay award rose from 3.0% to 3.4% in the three months to January 2026 (interquartile range: 3.0% to 3.8%).
  • The CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook Winter 2025-26 shows that, among employers (in the private, public and voluntary sectors) looking to increase, decrease or freeze pay in the next 12 months, the median expected basic pay increase for the next 12 months remains at 3% overall for the seventh consecutive quarter.