Pay settlements

Almost half of UK companies are scaling back on recruitment in response to the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions.

Supermarket Asda is to increase hourly pay rates for its store-based employees in three phases as part of an £80 million investment.

UK inflation fell by more than expected in February, down from 3% to 2.8%.

Tesco has announced a pay rise for its store employees from 30 March, following negotiations with Usdaw trade union.

Pay rises in the private sector remained at 4% in the three months ending in January 2025, according to new figures.

Technology retailer Currys has increased pay for its workforce through an £8 million investment, with a 6% increase in hourly-paid wages.

Former newsreader Huw Edwards has not paid back around £200,000 in salary he was asked to return to the BBC following his arrest and resignation.

A third of UK employers plan to reduce pay rises in 2025 as a result of increased employment costs announced in last year’s budget.

The average annual salary in the UK hit a record high in January, according to the latest figures from job matching platform Adzuna.

Pay awards remained at lowest level for four years as inflation levels increased by more than expected in January 2025.

Lidl is giving its 28,000 hourly-paid employees a pay rise from March 2025, ahead of the increase in the national living wage.

British employees are working 215.8 hours of overtime every year, with more than two in five (42%) doing so for free.

The average advertised salary in the UK has crossed £40,000 for the first time, according to the latest data from Adzuna.

Median pay rise for autumn 2024 declined to 3.3%, according to Brightmine, as national insurance change begins to have an impact.

Labour market statistics released in January 2025 show that real wages increased by 3.4% year on year, their quickest pace since 2021.