HC Deb 04 November 1974 vol 880 cc70-2W
Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the latest information his Department has obtained showing male/female earnings differentials for manual and non-manual workers in various countries.

Mr. Booth

The latest available information showing male and female hourly earnings and relativities for manual workers in manufacturing industry in various countries is given in the table

AVERAGE GROSS HOURLY EARNINGS OF MALE AND FEMALE MANUAL WORKERS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
Country Date Male Female Percentage Female to Male Earnings
United Kingdom (Pence) October 1973 71.95 42.13 58.6
France (French Franc) April 1973 8.76 6.86 78.3
Germany (Deutsche Mark) April 1973 8.60 6…02 70.0
Belgium (Belgian Franc) October 1972 95.5 64.29 67.3
Netherlands (Florin) October 1972 6.52 3.97 60.9
Luxembourg (Luxembourg Franc) April 1973 122.23 67.82 55.5
Italy (Lira) April 1973 1,029 774 75.2
Ireland (Pence) September 1973 82.9 49.4 59.6
Denmark (Ore)* May 1973 2,552 2,019 79.1
Sweden (Kronor) May 1973 16.75 14.06 83.9
Sources:
United Kingdom: DE Gazette.
France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy: EUROSTAT—Social Statistics IV/1973.
Ireland: Irish Statistical Bulletin.
Denmark and Sweden: ILO Bulletin of Labour Statistics 2nd Quarter 1974.
* The figures for Denmark relate to wages in non-agricultural sectors. They exclude mining, quarrying, commerce and transport.

Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT figures showing the average weekly and hourly earnings for men and women in (a) manual; (b) non-manual; and (c) all occupations, respectively, for the past three years and for the latest convenient period for which figures are available.

Mr. Booth

The most recent information available to my Department on the

Category of Employee Year Average gross weekly earnings £ Average gross hourly earnings p
Manual men 1972 32.80 71.3
1973 38.10 81.7
1974 43.60 93.5
Non-manual men 1972 43.50 110.7
1973 48.10 121.6
1974 54.40 137.9
All full-time men 1972 36.70 83.7
1973 41.90 94.3
1974 47.70 107.6
Manual women 1972 17.10 43.0
1973 19.70 49.6
1974 23.60 59.3
Non-manual women 1972 22.20 59.9
1973 24.70 66.2
1974 28.60 76.9
All full-time women 1972 20.50 54.0
1973 23.10 60.5
1974 26.90 70.8
The estimates are subject to sampling errors and for average gross weekly earnings are given to the nearest 10p.

below. I regret that comparable information is not available for non-manual workers. International comparisons of earnings relativities between men and women are hazardous because the social and economic factors, including the pattern of industry, affecting female employment differ among countries.

average earnings of manual and non-manual employees is provided by the New Earnings Surveys. The following estimates show the average gross weekly and hourly earnings of full-time men aged 21 or over and full-time women aged 18 or over, whose pay for the particular survey reference period was not affected by absence. They relate to Great Britain and to April 1972, April 1973 and April 1974.