HC Deb 30 January 1990 vol 166 c103W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the increase in average earnings each year for manuals and non-manuals in the private sector less manufacturing, based on the weighted average difference between the figures given in his letter of 11 January and those for the public sector as a whole.

Mr. Nicholls

The calculation requested would not be meaningful, for the reasons stated in my letter to the hon. Member.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1989,Official Report, column 235, whether he will publish in the Official Report the information supplied in his letter of 11 January, together with his best estimate of the numbers currently employed in (a) each of the specified categories, (b) manufacturing in the public sector and (c) private sector other than manufacturing.

Mr. Nicholls

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 18 January 1990 at columns 396–98. The remaining earnings information requested is provided in the table.

Estimates of the numbers in employment for the categories requested are not available except for non-manual male employees in manufacturing, of which there were 917,300 employees in September 1989, the latest available estimate.

Percentage increase in weekly and hourly earnings of full.time adult male employees (a)
Manual

Not in public sector

April of each year Weekly earnings per cent. Hourly earnings per cent.
1980(b) 18.6 20.4
1981(b) 8.1 11.2
1982(b) 10.1 9.9
1983(c) 7.5 7.7
1984 8.9 7.7
1985 8.1 7.7
1986 6.3 6.6
1987 7.0 6.7
1988 8.1 6.8
1989 9.5 8.8

Notes:

  1. (a) average gross weekly and hourly earnings, not affected by absence, for those on adult rates; manufacturing as defined in the 1980 SIC (but see notes (b) and (c)).
  2. (b) males aged 21 and over on all rates; 1968 SIC definition of manufacturing.
  3. (c) males aged 21 and over on all rates; 1980 SIC definition of manufacturing.

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