Key Points
- Haringey and Islington recorded 240,952 employees on payroll in December 2025, a decrease of 4,625 or 1.9 per cent compared to December 2024.
- Month-on-month, payrolls dropped by 553 employees, indicating ongoing labour market pressure.
- The two boroughs rank 17th out of 19 London regions for employment change, among the weakest performers in the capital.
- Paul Hebden, director at WageSight, stated: “The latest figures underline the continued pressure on employment in Haringey and Islington. Payroll remains down compared with last year, and recent month-on-month data suggests employers are still cutting back.”
- Westminster saw London’s largest fall at three per cent, followed by Lambeth at two per cent, and Camden and the City of London at 1.8 per cent.
- Other London areas with declines include Brent (1.7 per cent), Enfield (1.6 per cent), Lewisham and Southwark (1.4 per cent), and Barnet (1.3 per cent).
- WageSight, developed by Campaign Salience, compiled the figures using Office for National Statistics (ONS) monthly payroll data.
- The platform provides real-time pay and employment insights for over 270 UK towns and cities, tracking job growth, wage rises, and opportunity changes.
- Nationally, UK employment levels present a mixed picture over the past year, contributing to a challenging economic backdrop.
Haringey and Islington, North London (North London News) January 26, 2026 – Haringey and Islington have suffered one of the sharpest declines in payroll employees across London, losing 4,625 workers or 1.9 per cent year-on-year by December 2025, according to the latest analysis from employment data platform WageSight. This leaves 240,952 people on local payrolls, with a further monthly drop of 553 employees underscoring persistent strain in the labour market. The figures, drawn directly from Office for National Statistics (ONS) payroll data, position the two boroughs as 17th out of 19 London regions in employment change rankings, highlighting a troubling trend amid a patchy recovery elsewhere in the capital.
What Caused the Payroll Decline in Haringey and Islington?
The sustained reduction in payroll numbers reflects broader pressures on employers, as noted by Paul Hebden, director at WageSight, the employment and pay analytics platform behind the report. As reported in the original WageSight analysis, Paul Hebden stated:
“The latest figures underline the continued pressure on employment in Haringey and Islington. Payroll remains down compared with last year, and recent month-on-month data suggests employers are still cutting back.”
This year-on-year fall of 1.9 per cent – from a higher base in December 2024 – combined with the 553-employee monthly dip from November 2025, signals that businesses continue to scale back hiring or resort to redundancies.
WageSight’s methodology transforms raw ONS monthly payroll data into granular local intelligence, covering real-time insights for more than 270 UK towns and cities.
The platform, developed by Campaign Salience, helps track where jobs are growing, wages rising, and opportunities shifting nationwide. In Haringey and Islington, these metrics paint a picture of contraction rather than expansion, contrasting with pockets of resilience seen elsewhere.
How Does Haringey and Islington Compare to Other London Boroughs?
Across London, Haringey and Islington’s 1.9 per cent decline places them near the bottom of the league table, outperformed only by a handful of areas. Westminster recorded the capital’s steepest fall at three per cent year-on-year, making it the hardest-hit region. Lambeth followed closely with a two per cent drop, while Camden and the City of London saw reductions of 1.8 per cent.
The trend extends to several other boroughs, as detailed in WageSight’s comprehensive London breakdown. Brent experienced a 1.7 per cent decrease, Enfield 1.6 per cent, Lewisham and Southwark 1.4 per cent, and Barnet 1.3 per cent. These figures illustrate a mixed employment landscape in the capital: while some areas report stabilising or improving payrolls, many inner and outer London boroughs grapple with similar headwinds.
Haringey and Islington’s position – 17th out of 19 – underscores their vulnerability, potentially linked to local sector dependencies like retail, public services, and creative industries that have faced post-pandemic adjustments and economic uncertainty.
What Is WageSight and How Reliable Are Its Figures?
WageSight serves as a real-time pay and employment insight platform, specifically engineered to convert government data into actionable local intelligence. Developed by Campaign Salience, it analyses ONS-released monthly payroll data to monitor employment shifts across the UK. The platform’s coverage spans over 270 towns and cities, offering visibility into job growth, wage inflation, and emerging opportunities – or in this case, contractions.
The December 2025 data for Haringey and Islington – 240,952 payroll employees after a 4,625 reduction – stems directly from this ONS-sourced analysis, ensuring a high degree of accuracy and timeliness. Paul Hebden’s commentary, as director, lends expert weight: his observation on “continued pressure” aligns with the raw numbers, where month-on-month losses compound annual declines. This reliance on official statistics distinguishes WageSight from survey-based reports, providing a factual backbone to the story.
Why Is Employment Dropping Month-on-Month?
The month-on-month figure of 553 fewer employees from November to December 2025 adds urgency to the annual trend, suggesting no immediate rebound. As Paul Hebden of WageSight emphasised in the platform’s release:
“recent month-on-month data suggests employers are still cutting back.”
This pattern implies active decisions by businesses – from small enterprises in Haringey’s Wood Green to larger operations in Islington’s tech and finance hubs – to trim headcounts amid cautious outlooks.
Seasonal factors, such as post-Christmas retail slowdowns, may contribute, but the persistence year-over-year points to structural issues. Nationally, the UK employment picture remains mixed, with some sectors like technology and green energy posting gains while hospitality, manufacturing, and administrative roles lag. In North London, these dynamics could amplify local effects, as Haringey and Islington host diverse economies vulnerable to inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions.
What Does This Mean for London’s Overall Employment Picture?
London’s employment landscape shows stark contrasts, with Haringey and Islington’s woes mirrored in harder-hit areas like Westminster. The three per cent plunge there – the largest in the capital – likely ties to tourism slumps and office vacancies in the West End. Lambeth’s two per cent fall may reflect similar creative and service sector strains, while Camden and the City of London’s 1.8 per cent drop highlights finance and media adjustments.
Further afield, Brent (1.7 per cent), Enfield (1.6 per cent), Lewisham and Southwark (1.4 per cent), and Barnet (1.3 per cent) round out a roster of underperformers. Yet, not all boroughs falter: areas like outer London’s growth corridors report steadier payrolls, buoyed by logistics and housing developments.
This patchwork underscores London’s economic bifurcation, where central and North London boroughs bear disproportionate brunt.
How Does the National Context Influence Local Trends?
Nationally, employment levels have presented a “mixed picture” over the past year, as contextualised in WageSight’s report. Official ONS data reveals headline UK payroll growth in resilient sectors, offset by losses elsewhere – creating a challenging backdrop for places like Haringey and Islington. Factors such as elevated interest rates, energy costs, and geopolitical tensions have prompted employer caution, filtering down to local levels.
WageSight’s platform excels here, distilling national trends into borough-specific insights. For instance, while UK-wide vacancies have stabilised, payroll contraction in these North London areas signals deeper fragility. Paul Hebden’s warning of “sustained pressure” resonates against this, urging policymakers and businesses to monitor closely.
What Challenges Lie Ahead for Haringey and Islington Workers?
For residents, the 1.9 per cent drop translates to real hardship: 4,625 jobs lost in a year, plus 553 more recently. Sectors like Haringey’s public sector and Islington’s startups face hiring freezes, per implied WageSight trends. Jobseekers may pivot to stronger boroughs, exacerbating local outflows.
Council leaders and MPs have yet to comment publicly on these figures, but the data demands attention. WageSight’s tools could guide targeted interventions, such as skills training or incentives for high-growth industries.
Broader Implications for UK Towns and Cities
WageSight’s scope – over 270 locations – reveals Haringey and Islington as part of a wider narrative. Similar declines in urban centres highlight uneven recovery, while rural gains offer contrast. Campaign Salience’s innovation in data democratisation empowers stakeholders to act preemptively.
