Payrolled staff are increasing, the Office for National Statistics reported*:

• The number of payrolled employees rose by 2.9% in July 2022 compared with July 2021, a rise of 847,000 employees; up by 2.2% since February 2020, a rise of 649,000.

• Payrolled employment increased by 73,000 employees (0.2%) in July 2022 when compared with June 2022.

• Median monthly pay increased by 6.6% in July 2022 compared with July 2021, and increased by 13.4% when compared with February 2020.

• All age groups saw an increase in payrolled employees between July 2021 and July 2022; there was an increase of 220,000 payrolled employees aged under 25 years.

• Annual growth in payrolled employees in July 2022 was the highest in Tower Hamlets, with a rise of 9.2%, and was lowest in Lochaber, Skye and Lochalsh, Arran and Cumbrae, and Argyll and Bute, with a rise of 1.0%.

• Annual growth in median pay for employees in July 2022 was highest in the finance and insurance sector (an increase of 8.3%), and lowest in the arts and entertainment sector (an increase of 1.9%).

* These are early estimates and are treated as a provisional as they are likely to be revised when more data is received later this month.