Stethoscope on money

With inflation rising, and a cost of living crisis hitting the UK, how much public sector workers get paid is hitting the headlines.

What has pay in the public sector been like in recent years? How do public sector workers do relative to those in the private sector? And can departments afford to pay more?

Related content

    Authors

    Bee Boileau
    Bee Boileau

    Research Economist

    Bee joined the IFS in 2021 as a Research Economist and works in the Retirement, Saving and Ageing sector.

    Explainer details

    DOI
    10.1920/ex.ifs.2024.0050
    Publisher
    Institute for Fiscal Studies

    Suggested citation

    Boileau, B. (2022). What is happening to public sector pay? [Explainer] Institute for Fiscal Studies. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/what-happening-public-sector-pay (accessed: 18 June 2025).

    Grant

    Impact Acceleration Account 2019-23

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