HC Deb 14 January 1985 vol 71 c33W
Mr. Foulkes

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the yearly increase in (a) real wages and (b) real labour costs per employee in each of

"Real" Total hourly Labour Costs (Adults): Annual increases (Per cent.)*
Belgium Denmark France Germany(FR) Italy Netherlands Great Britain USA
1972 11.7 5.8 6.3 5.3 6.7 n/a 6.9 4.0
1973 9.2 8.8 9.5 6.4 12.7 9.4 3.8 3.3
1974 8.2 5.5 6.8 6.8 6.3 8.9 6.3 -3.0
1975 8.2 6.6 6.6 4.1 9.1 5.3 2.8 1.5
1976 4.9 2.9 5.7 4.1 1.3 2.4 -1.7 3.4
1977 4.2 -1.0 4.7 5.6 6.2 2.6 -4.9 2.6
1978 3.1 -0.4 3.5 4.1 4.2 3.5 8.2 1.7
1979 3.3 n/a 1.4 2.1 -1.1 0.5 4.5 2.1
1980 2.5 -0.6 0.9 1.9 -3.1 1.1 1.0 -3.8
1981 1.9 -2.2 0.9 -0.2 2.7 -2.2 -0.2 0.3
Source: 'Wages and total labour costs for workers—international survey 1971–81' (Swedish Employers' Confederation, Stockholm 1984), and 'OECD Economic Outlook: Historical Statistics 1960–82' (OECD, Paris 1984).
Note:
* The estimates are produced as follows: increases in total labour costs, converted to national currency, are derived from the first source quoted above. To give 'real' figures, these are then compared with the increases in each country's consumer price index, taken from the second source (table 8.11). (For Great Britain, the United Kingdom Retail Prices Index is used).