§ Mr. D. Jonesasked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the average wage paid in this country, giving the several classes separately for the years 1922, 1932, 1939 and 1948.
§ Mr. IsaacsStatistics are not available for 1922, 1932 or 1939. The average weekly earnings of wage-earners in manufacturing industries and a number of the principal non-manufacturing industries, as ascertained by inquiries made by my Department in four weeks at quarterly intervals in 1924, were 47s. 9d. The averages ascertained by other similar inquiries were 53s. 3d. in October, 1938, and 114s. in April, 1948. Details of the average earnings in separate industries in 1924 were published in the Ministry of Labour Gazette for June, 1926, to March, 1927, and July, 1927. Those relating to October, 1938, were given in the August, 1944, issue and those for April, 1948, in the October, 1948, issue. Figures relating to October, 1948, will shortly be available. A similar inquiry was made in 1931, and although details in respect of the separate industries were published in the Gazette for January. February and March, 1933, no calculation was made of the average for all industries combined. In comparing the average earnings for the various dates it has to be borne in mind that they are affected by changes in the proportion of 169W workers employed in the different industries, and in the proportions of men, women, boys and girls employed, as well as by changes in systems of payment and in the output of piece-workers.