Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025

Employee Earnings

Nominal and Real Gross Median Weekly Earnings for full-time employees, Scotland and UK

Gross median weekly earnings for full-time employees in Scotland were £773.80 in 2025. This was an increase of 4.6% over the year in nominal terms, continuing the upward trend seen over time. 

In the UK, gross median weekly earnings for full-time employees were £766.60, an increase of 5.3% in nominal terms since April 2024.

When adjusted for inflation (Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH)), gross median weekly earnings for full-time employees in Scotland increased by 0.4% over the year while the UK increased by 1.1% over the year.

Figure 1: Nominal median weekly earnings for full-time employees have been gradually increasing over time for Scotland and the UK, with real median weekly earnings for full-time employees remaining relatively constant over time

Gross median weekly earnings for full-time employees (nominal and real), Scotland and UK, April 2005 to April 2025

Source: Scottish Government Analysis of Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), ONS

Notes:

1. Estimates for 2025 data are provisional.

2. Employees are on adult rates, pay is unaffected by absence unless furloughed.

3. Full-time is defined as employees working more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).

4. Real pay is pay adjusted for inflation using Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) for April 2025.

5. Discontinuities in the series in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021 ASHE estimates. 2021 represents a discontinuity because of a change in occupational coding. Therefore, estimates pre- and post- 2021 are not directly comparable.

6. Due to methodological changes, data for 2023 onwards might not be directly comparable to data for 2022 and earlier years.

7. Data for 2020 and 2021 are subject to more uncertainty and should be treated with caution because of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the data and collection.

8. Weekly pay will be affected by both hourly rates of pay and hours worked or paid for.

Nominal Gross Median Weekly Earnings by sex and employment type, Scotland, 2025

Between April 2024 and April 2025, women's median weekly earnings increased at a slightly faster rate than men’s, for all employees (4.8% vs 4.7%).

In nominal terms, gross median weekly earnings for full-time women increased by 3.3% over the year to £724.50 in 2025 while median weekly earnings for full-time men increased by 5.8% to £810.80 in 2025.

Median weekly earnings for part-time women increased by 6.0% over the year to £304.30 in 2025 while median weekly earnings for part-time men increased by 9.2% to £267.10 in 2025, in nominal terms

Figure 2: Men’s full-time and part-time earnings increased at a faster rate than women’s between 2024 and 2025

Gross Median Weekly Earnings and annual percentage change in gross median weekly earnings by sex and employment type (nominal), Scotland, 2025

Source: Scottish Government Analysis of Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), ONS

Notes:

1. Estimates for 2025 data are provisional.

2. Employees are on adult rates, pay is unaffected by absence

3. Full-time is defined as employees working more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).

4. Part-time is defined as employees working less than or equal to 30 paid hours per week (or less than 25 hours for the teaching professions).

5. Weekly pay will be affected by both hourly rates of pay and hours worked or paid for.