HC Deb 02 November 2001 vol 373 cc890-1W
Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the average post-tax income of full-time employed(a) graduates and (b) non graduates aged (i) 18, (ii) 22, (iii) 30, (iv) 40, (v) 50 and (vi) 60 years in (a) 1960, (b) 1970, (c) 1980, (d) 1990 and (e) 2000, based on 2000 purchasing power; [12278]

(2) what was the average earnings of full-time employed (a) graduates and (b) non graduates aged (i) 18, (ii) 22, (iii) 30, (iv) 40, (v) 50 and (vi) 60 years in (a) 1960, (b) 1970, (c) 1980, (d) 1990 and (e) 2000, based on 2000 purchasing power. [12277]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 31 October 2001As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions about the average earnings and average post-tax income of graduates and non-graduates (12277, 12278). The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of average gross weekly earnings for graduates and non-graduates. However, it only collects information about qualifications from respondents of working age (men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59). Therefore, it does not provide estimates for female graduates and non-graduates aged 60 years or over. The LFS does not provide earnings estimates for 1990 or previous years as questions on earnings were first introduced in winter (December to February) 1992. Estimates for spring (March to May) 2000 are given in the table overleaf. The LFS does not collect information about post-tax income.

Average gross weekly earnings of full-time1 employees by age and whether a graduate or non-graduate; United Kingdom; spring (March to May) 2000; not seasonally adjusted
£
All full-time employees of working age2,3 Graduates Non-graduates
All aged 18 years 155 5 155
All aged 22 years 250 272 244
All aged 30 years 382 468 351
All aged 40 years 448 719 391
All aged 50 years 436 715 382
Men aged 60 years4 431 5 382
1 The definition of full-time/part-time is based on respondents' self-assessment
2 Men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59
3 Includes people who did not state their qualifications
4 Estimates for women aged 60 years are not available as the questions about qualifications only apply to people of working age
5 Sample size too small for reliable estimate

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