HC Deb 20 December 1984 vol 70 cc316-7W
Mr. Foulkes

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the ratio of net wage income to total labour costs in the last five years for which figures are available in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States and (c) the EEC as a whole.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

Comparable informtion on the ratio of net wage income to total labour costs is not available.

Mr. Foulkes

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in (a) real wages and (b) real labour costs per employee in the last 10 years for which figures are available in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States and (c) the EEC as a whole.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The latest information relates to manufacturing industry for the period 1971 to 1981 and is shown in the following table:

Average annual increase (percentage) Great Britain United States
(i) Average gross weekly earnings* 15.7 8.4
(ii) Total hourly labour costs (adults)‡ 16.9 9.3
(iii) Consumer prices †13.9 8.4
(iv) "Real" gross weekly earnings≑ 1.6 0.0
(v) "Real" total hourly labour costs≑ 2.6 0.8

Information for the EEC as a whole is not available.

* Great Britain figure relates to all employees; the United States figure relates to production workers on private payrolls.

† Retail prices index (all items) for the United Kingdom.

‡ Source: "Wages and total labour costs for workers—international survey 1971–1981", Swedish employers' confederation, Stockholm 1984. Estimates converted to national currency.

≑ (iv)=(i) relative to (iii);

(v)=(ii) relative to (iii).