HC Deb 14 June 1938 vol 337 cc74-5W
Mr. Lyons

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can indicate the upswing of wages for the year ended 31st May, 1938?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

In those industries for which statistics are regularly compiled, the changes in rates of wages reported to the Department during the year ending 31st May, 1938, are estimated to have resulted in a net increase of nearly £700,000 a week in the full-time weekly rates of wages of about 5,000,000 work-people, and in a net decrease of nearly £20,000 a week in the weekly full-time rates of wages of nearly 100,000 work-people. These statistics are exclusive of changes in the rates of wages of agricultural labourers, domestic servants, shop assistants, clerks and Government employés, and they relate in the main to changes collectively arranged between organised groups of employers and work-people. It is estimated that, in the industries for which information is available, the average level of full-time weekly rates of wages rose by nearly 3½ per cent. during this period.