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| Average earnings rise by 1.4% to £26,500 says ONS | Average earnings rise by 1.4% to £26,500 says ONS |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The average annual earnings of full-time workers in the UK rose by 1.4% to £26,500 in the year to April 2012. | The average annual earnings of full-time workers in the UK rose by 1.4% to £26,500 in the year to April 2012. |
| The figures have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its annual survey of hours and earnings. | The figures have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its annual survey of hours and earnings. |
| There was a cut in the real value of pay, however, as inflation was higher during the same period, at 3.5%. | There was a cut in the real value of pay, however, as inflation was higher during the same period, at 3.5%. |
| The pay gap between men and women shrank in the year, from 10.5% of men's full-time hourly earnings to 9.6%. | The pay gap between men and women shrank in the year, from 10.5% of men's full-time hourly earnings to 9.6%. |
| The ONS said the shrinkage of this gap continued the trend of the past few years. | |
| Full-time male workers earned on average £28,700 in the year, while women earned £23,100, a difference of £5,600. | |
| Among part-time workers, though, most of whom are female, the position was reversed. | |
| Looking at their weekly earnings, female part-timers earned on average 8% more last year than their male counterparts, with women earning an average of £158 a week and men £146. | |
| Looking at their hourly pay rates, part-time women earned 5% more than their male counterparts, at £8.12 an hour compared to £7.72 an hour. | |
| Public and private | |
| The ONS survey found that the average weekly pay of staff in the public sector was still noticeably higher than for staff in private sector employment, despite the government pay freeze on most employees in the public sector. | |
| Full-time staff there saw their weekly pay rise by 1.6% to £565, while those in the private sector saw their earnings go up by 1.5% to £479. | |
| The ONS said the long standing difference in pay levels was due to the preponderance of low-paid jobs in the private sector and the concentration of better educated workers in the public sector. | |
| "The compositions of the public and private sectors are different," it said. | "The compositions of the public and private sectors are different," it said. |
| "Consequently, differences in gross weekly earnings do not reveal differences in rates of pay for comparable jobs. | "Consequently, differences in gross weekly earnings do not reveal differences in rates of pay for comparable jobs. |
| "For example, many of the lowest-paid occupations, such as bar and restaurant staff, hairdressers, elementary sales occupations and cashiers, exist primarily in the private sector, while there are a larger proportion of graduate-level and professional occupations in the public sector," the ONS added. | "For example, many of the lowest-paid occupations, such as bar and restaurant staff, hairdressers, elementary sales occupations and cashiers, exist primarily in the private sector, while there are a larger proportion of graduate-level and professional occupations in the public sector," the ONS added. |
| Low pay | |
| Average weekly earnings were highest in the London region at £653 and lowest in Wales at £453. | |
| In districts around the UK, the highest average full-time earnings were in the City of London, at £917, while the lowest earnings were in Torridge in Devon, at just £348 a week for full-time employees. | |
| The ONS survey found that in April this year, there were 287,000 people in jobs paying less than the national minimum wage, who amounted to 1.1% of all workers in the UK. | |
| However, it warned that this did not mean they were all being paid illegally. | |
| "This is because it is not possible to determine from the survey data whether an individual is eligible for the minimum wage," the ONS said. | |
| "For example, it is not possible to identify people such as apprentices and those undergoing training who are exempt from the minimum wage rate or are entitled to lower rates. | |
| "In addition, if employees receive free accommodation, employers are entitled to offset hourly rates," the ONS added. |