Total average weekly earnings in the UK, including bonuses, rose 3.9% year-on-year to GBP 742 in the three months to January 2026, matching market forecasts but easing from a 4.2% increase in the prior period. This marked the slowest growth since the three months to November 2020. Private sector wage growth cooled to 3.5% from 3.8%, remaining at its weakest pace since early 2021, while public sector pay gains also moderated to 5.9%, the lowest since July–September 2025, after a 7.0% rise previously. Adjusted for inflation, total earnings increased 0.5% over the period, unchanged from the prior reading and still the weakest growth since mid-2023.