Image caption, Average earnings in Jersey rose by 1.2% in real terms in the year to June, according to Statistics Jersey
ByZhara Simpson and George ThorpeChannel Islands
Average earnings in Jersey did not keep up with the rate of inflation for the year to June, according to new figures.
Statistics Jersey said in June 2026 earnings per full-time equivalent employee was 4.1% higher than in June 2025.
However, once adjusted for inflation – currently at 2.8% for the island, external – Statistics Jersey said earnings rose by 1.2%, representing a real-terms pay cut.
The Index of Average Earnings June 2026 report, external said the overall increase was lower than the preceding five-year annual average of 5.6% per year and “slightly lower” than the long-term annual average of 4.2% per year for 1991 to 2025.
It also highlighted average earnings in real terms increased by 0.9% in the private sector and 2.9% in the public sector over 12 years.
However, it said, over 25 years, average earnings in real terms in the public sector decreased by 3% while they increased by 1.2% in the private sector.
Statistics Jersey said the report was determined from earnings data collected from a large representative survey of employers and all Government of Jersey departments.
It said this was the fourth year in which the survey was compulsory for employers to complete.
Matthew Gill, a statistician for Statistics Jersey, said, when looking back at figures going back to 2001, there had not been much a change in real-term earnings.
He said: “It’s not necessarily that people are earning less.
“With inflation going up, it is generally something that people will notice more.
“A lot of the inflation recently has been things like petrol, which people notice when topping up their cars and has an effect on deliveries for food and that type of thing.”
Image caption, Heidi Gibaut, executive director at Law At Work, said she felt employers should ensure their staff were paid well
Heidi Gibaut, executive director at Law At Work, said a lot of the firm’s clients had taken on secondary roles to boost their income.
She said: “When I was younger, I did two roles; but it’s not a sustainable way of living.
“It’s not how you will get the best out of the colleagues that you currently work with.”
Gibaut said she felt it was down to employers to make sure the services and products they offered were being done at the right price to stop inflation from getting worse and “ensure colleagues are paid well”.
“But it is a really, really hard balance,” she added.
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