UK employees' average earnings rose by 5.0 per cent in the year to May 2025, for both regular pay (excluding bonuses) and total pay (including bonuses), data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Thursday. When adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Prices Index excluding housing costs (CPIH), real wage growth stood at 1.8 per cent for regular pay and 1.7 per cent for total pay. The public sector saw stronger growth, with regular earnings rising by 5.5 per cent compared to 4.9 per cent in the private sector. The highest regular annual pay growth was recorded in the wholesaling, retailing, hotels and restaurants sector. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama