HC Deb 20 May 1968 vol 765 cc8-9W
Mr. John Page

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the percentage change in average weekly earnings at 1958 prices each year since 1946; and the annual average change for the periods 1946 to 1951, 1952 to 1964, and 1964 to 1967.

Mrs. Castle

The following table sets out for each year since 1946 the annual percentage changes in

  1. (1) actual average weekly earnings
  2. (2) the Index of Retail Prices, which is a chain index reflecting year to year changes in prices and expenditure patterns and does not involve revaluation at the prices of any one particular year
  3. 9
  4. (3) average weekly earnings after adjustment by the movements in the Index of Retail Prices
    • together with annual averages for the periods 1947 to 1951, 1951 to 1964 and 1964 to 1967.

Period (1) (2) (3)
1946–47 +9.3 N.A.* N.A.*
1947–48 +9.4 +7.7 +1.6
1948–49 +4.1 +2.8 +1.3
1949–50 +4.6 +3.1 +1.5
1950–51 +10.1 +9.1 +0.9
Annual average 1947–51 +7.1 +5.7 +1.3
1951–52 +7.8 +9.2 +1.3
1952–53 +6.1 +3.1 +3.0
1953–54 +6.6 +1.9 +4.7
1954–55 +9.3 +4.5 +4.6
1955–56 +7.9 +5.0 +2.8
1956–57 +4.7 +3.7 +0.9
1957–58 +3.4 +3.0 +0.4
1958–59 +4.5 +0.5 +3.9
1959–60 +6.9 +1.0 +5.9
1960–61 +6.0 +3.5 +2.5
1961–62 +3.6 +4.2 +0.6
1962–63 +4.2 +2.0 +2.1
1963–64 +8.7 +3.3 +5.2
Annual average 1951–64 +6.1 +3.4 +2.6
1964–65 +8.1 +4.8 +3.1
1965–66 +5.8 +3.9 +1.8
1966–67 +4.0 +2.5 +1.4
Annual average 1964–67 +6.0 +3.7 +2.1
* The Cost of Living Index which was in operation from 1914 to June, 1947 differed greatly in scope and in the methods employed from the Index of Retail Prices which succeeded it. Consequently the Department does not link the two series.