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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchUK firms’ reported price and wage growth held steady in September, but energy costs remain a strain: 57% of surveyed firms expected to raise prices in response to the energy shock and 70% expected lower profit margins. The Bank of England’s Decision Maker Panel (DMP), published on 2 October 2026, measures firms’ reported experience and expectations—not a universal rise in bills or prices.
What the latest Bank of England survey found
The DMP survey was conducted from 4 to 18 September 2026 and received 1,993 responses. Its weighted panel is designed to represent UK businesses. The figures below compare three-month averages to September with those to August; they are not monthly readings for September alone.
| Measure | Three months to September 2026 | Change from three months to August |
|---|---|---|
| Firms’ realised annual own-price growth | 3.7% | Unchanged |
| Year-ahead own-price inflation expectation | 3.7% | Down 0.1 percentage points |
| Reported annual wage growth | 4.0% | Unchanged |
| Expected year-ahead wage growth | 3.4% | Unchanged |
“Own-price” growth refers to prices charged by firms across the economy, not just consumer-facing businesses, and is not the same measure as consumer price inflation (CPI). Likewise, reported wage growth describes firms’ recent experience, while expected wage growth is their view of the coming year; neither is a negotiated pay settlement. The Bank characterises the 3.4% wage expectation as implying a 0.6 percentage-point decline over the next year.
In the September release, the Bank summarised firms’ responses this way: “In September, higher prices and lower profit margins remained the most common forms of adjustment.” Bank of England Decision Maker Panel, September 2026.
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How energy costs are affecting price and margin plans
Asked about the recent energy shock, 57% of DMP firms expected to increase prices because of higher energy prices, two percentage points fewer than in August. Seven per cent expected to lower prices. These are expectations about a shock, not measured price changes already made by every firm.
Seventy per cent expected higher energy prices to reduce profit margins, two percentage points more than in April. That survey response can coexist with reports from Bank of England agents that margins were slightly less compressed overall: firms had made efficiency savings and passed on some cost increases. The measures differ—one asks firms about the energy shock; the other is agents’ qualitative assessment of business conditions.
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The Bank’s September Agents’ Summary says: “Higher energy prices continue to push input costs upwards, offset only partially by weak demand.” Its contacts described firms passing through energy, fuel and commodity costs where possible, while pursuing procurement savings and other efficiencies. Some firms were also restraining staff replacement or other costs. Firms protected by fixed contracts or hedges may face higher costs when those arrangements expire; the timing and impact vary by business. The Agents’ Summary put the double-weighted average 2026 pay settlement at 3.6%, a separate measure that should not be confused with DMP-reported wage growth or expectations. Bank of England Agents’ Summary of Business Conditions, September 2026.
What the ONS figures add—and what they do not
A separate ONS Business Insights and Impact on the UK Economy release offers a snapshot of business concerns and costs. In late August, 59% of businesses expressed some degree of concern about energy prices. Among businesses with 10 or more employees, 38% said staffing costs—including wages, bonuses, National Insurance and pension contributions—had increased in the preceding three months; 16% said employees’ hourly wages had increased in July.
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Those measures are not directly comparable with the DMP figures: they cover different questions, periods and survey populations. ONS’s Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) is voluntary, excludes several sectors, and its estimates are subject to sampling and non-sampling error. ONS describes these as “official statistics in development.” Its release, published 3 September 2026, drew on BICS Wave 163, live from 17 to 30 August. Office for National Statistics, Business insights and impact on the UK economy: 3 September 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What “steady” means for businesses and consumers
Steady describes the DMP’s month-to-month survey measures of reported price and wage growth; it does not mean bills, prices or costs stopped rising. The findings point to ongoing energy-related pressure, with firms weighing price increases against already weak demand and using a mix of cost controls and efficiency measures. They do not establish that all firms have raised prices, that all face the same energy-cost increase, or that the survey’s expectations will be realised.
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