HC Deb 04 June 1962 vol 661 cc18-20W
Mr. A. Lewis

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will publish in Hansard a table of figures giving the average wage for the workers employed in the 20 major industries in this country in October, 1951; and, taking the £ sterling then as having a purchasing value of 20s., by how much per year these wages would have to be increased to maintain their spending power of October, 1951, after allowing for the rise in the cost of living and the depreciation in the purchasing value of the £ sterling.

Mr. Hare

The following is the table. Figures for 1951 are the average weekly earnings in October of adult malt manual workers in the major industries for which information is collected by the Ministry of Labour or is made available to the Ministry by employing authorities. Figures for subsequent years show the increase required to meet the rise in the cost of living as measured by the index of retail prices.

The table also shows average weekly earnings of the same industries in October, 1961.

Industry (1948 Standard Industrial Classification) Average Weekly Earnings October 1951 Level to which earnings would have to increase in October each year to allow for changes in the index of retail prices Average Weekly Earnings October 1961 Percentage Increase Needed to Maintain Spending Power of 1951 Actual Percentage Increase in Earnings 1951–61
1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d.
Treatment of non-metalliferous mining products other than coal 173 2 185 1 188 5 193 7 203 10 211 9 221 0 225 8 225 1 229 10 238 7 312 5 37.8 80.4
Chemicals and allied trades 169 0 180 8 183 10 188 11 198 11 206 8 215 8 220 2 219 8 224 3 232 11 313 1 37.8 85.3
Metal manufacture 187 0 199 11 203 5 209 1 220 1 228 8 238 7 243 8 243 1 248 2 257 8 329 1 37.8 76.0
Shipbuilding, ship-repairing and marine engineering 168 3 179 10 183 1 188 1 198 0 205 9 214 8 219 3 218 9 223 3 231 10 304 4 37.8 80.9
Engineering and electrical goods 173 2 185 1 188 5 193 7 203 10 211 9 221 0 225 8 225 1 229 10 238 7 321 11 37.8 85.9
Vehicles (other than motor repairers and garages) 192 7 205 10 209 6 215 4 226 8 235 6 245 9 250 11 250 4 255 7 265 5 353 10 37.8 83.7
Motor repairers and garages 146 0 156 1 158 10 163 3 171 10 178 7 186 4 190 3 189 10 193 9 201 2 260 3 37.8 78.3
Metal goods not elsewhere specified 173 7 185 7 188 10 194 1 204 4 212 4 221 6 226 2 225 8 230 4 239 2 313 1 37.8 80.4
Textiles 162 10 174 1 177 2 182 1 191 8 199 2 207 9 212 2 211 8 216 1 224 5 279 5 37.8 71.6
Leather, leather goods and fur 157 7 168 5 171 5 176 2 185 6 192 9 201 1 205 4 204 10 209 1 217 2 274 9 37.8 74.4
Clothing 151 8 162 2 165 0 169 7 178 6 185 6 193 6 197 7 197 2 201 3 209 0 272 0 37.8 79.3
Food, drink and tobacco 154 6 165 2 168 1 172 9 181 10 188 11 197 2 201 4 200 10 205 0 212 11 289 10 37.8 87.6
Manufactures of wood and cork 163 1 174 4 177 5 182 4 191 11 199 5 208 1 212 6 212 0 216 5 224 9 298 1 37.8 82.8
Paper and printing 187 5 200 4 203 11 209 6 220 7 229 3 239 6 244 2 243 8 248 8 258 3 357 4 37.8 90.7
Other manufacturing industries 177 10 190 1 193 6 198 10 209 4 217 6 226 11 231 9 231 2 236 0 245 1 309 11 37.8 74.3
Agriculture 123 3 131 9 134 1 137 10 145 1 150 9 157 3 160 7 160 3 163 7 169 10 224 1 37.8 81.8
Coalmining 211 11 226 6 230 7 236 11 249 5 259 2 270 5 276 2 275 6 281 3 292 0 343 3 37.8 62.0
Building and contracting 161 0 172 1 175 2 180 0 189 6 196 11 205 5 209 9 209 4 213 8 221 10 305 1 37.8 89.5
Gas, electricity and water 156 3 167 0 170 0 174 8 183 11 191 1 199 5 203 7 203 2 207 4 215 4 281 6 37.8 80.2
Transport and communication (except railways, London
Transport, British Road Services and dock labour) 157 2 168 0 171 0 175 9 185 0 192 3 200 7 204 9 204 4 208 7 216 7 299 3 37.8 90.4
Railways 156 1* 166 10 169 10 174 6 183 9 190 11 199 2 203 5 202 11 207 1 215 1 288 0† 37.8 84.5
Dock labour 194 9 208 2 211 11 217 9 229 3 238 2 248 6 253 9 253 2 258 5 268 4 302 5 37.8 55.3
Public administration 132 0 141 1 143 7 147 7 155 4 161 5 168 5 172 0 171 7 175 2 181 11 234 7 37.8 77.7
*April 1951 Census. † March 1961 Census.