Aberdeen had the slowest increase in wages in the UK from 2014, according to new research.  

Wages in Aberdeen grew by just 3 per cent in seven years, which is almost eight times slower than the UK’s average increase of 24%. The study by money transfer specialist Xendpay used new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to compare monthly wages from July 2014 to May 2021 across the whole of the UK.   

In contrast to Aberdeen, the London boroughs of Hackney and Newham saw the highest spike in wages in the whole country. At 45%, the increase was almost double the national average, and well above the London average of 32%.

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After Aberdeen, the area with the second lowest wage increase was the Shetland Islands, where salaries grew just 12%, half the UK’s mean increase. The Outer Hebrides came in third, with a wage increase of just 13% in seven years.  

The borough of Mid and East Antrim in Northern Ireland also had one of the UK’s slowest salary increases, with a rise of 14% since 2014.  

On a national level, Scotland saw the lowest salary increases of all the UK’s countries at just 17%, compared to 24% in England, 23% in Wales and 20% in Northern Ireland.

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The areas with the highest salary increases were all based in London. The boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham saw a hike of 40% - the second biggest in the whole of the UK, after Hackney and Newham.  

Several boroughs shared the third most increased wages, with Camden and City of London, and Lewisham and Southwark all growing 39% between 2014 and 2021.