A third of pay awards reach 4% or more, median holds at 3.5% – IDR
The median pay increase stayed at 3.5%, while the proportion of higher awards grew from 21% in March to 33% by April.
A third of pay awards across the economy were worth 4% or more in the three months to April 2026, according to figures from Incomes Data Research (IDR).
The median pay increase stayed at 3.5%, while the proportion of higher awards grew from 21% in March to 33% by April.
This pushed the upper quartile up to 4.0%.
April remained the most popular month for pay setting.
The median in manufacturing and production held at 3.5%, with the average rising to 3.6% due to more increases worth 4% or more.
Over a third of manufacturing pay rises reached at least 4%, compared to a fifth in March.
These higher awards were common in engineering and among employers in energy and water.
The median pay award in private services dropped from 3.5% in March to 3.3%, as more pay outcomes fell below 3%.
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