§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Employment how the average hourly rate of pay and employment cost compares in the engineering industry in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the United States of America and Japan, both in sterling terms and percentage terms now and in November 1979 at exchange rates current at each time of calculation.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980, c. 295]: The following table includes the latest available information on total labour costs and hourly earnings for four engineering industries in the four European Community countries listed.
25W
Hourly Labour Costs and Gross Hourly Earnings (£ sterling)1 Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering United Kingdom Germay (FR) France Italy United Kingdom Germay (FR) France Italy Hourly labour costs2 1978: (a) £ sterling 2.41 5.91 4.47 3.693 2.18 5.76 4.40 3.643 (b Index United Kingdom=100 100 245 185 1684 100 264 202 1764 Gross hourly earnings5 April 1978: (a) £ sterling 1.75 3.26 2.12 1.71 1.57 2.87 1.91 1.68 (b) Index United Kingdom=100 100 187 121 98 100 182 121 107 October 1979: ((a)) £sterling 2.13 3.42 2.31 1.766 1.92 3.01 2.16 1.716 (b) Index United Kingdom=100 100 161 109 897 100 157 112 977
Instrument Engineering Building and Civil Engineering United Kingdom Germay (FR) France Italy United Kingdom Germay (FR) France Italy Hourly labour costs2 1978: (a) £ sterling 2.20 5.19 4.09 3.433 2.22 5.19 3.62 3.363 (b) Index United Kingdom=100 100 236 186 1694 100 234 163 1544 Gross hourly earnings5 April 1978: (a) £ sterling 1.53 2.85 1.92 1.62 1.63 3.11 1.94 1.81 (b) Index United Kingdom=100 100 186 125 106 100 191 119 111 October 1979: (a) £ sterling 1.87 2.94 2.10 1.666 2.01 3.49 2.18 1.876 (b) Index United Kingdom=100 100 157 113 967 100 173 108 1037 Notes: 1Converted at average market exchange rates for the corresponding periods. 2Total labour costs for manual and non-manual workers, including employers' national insurance and other social contributions, bonuses, payment for days not worked, benefits in kind, training costs, and other expenses of a social nature. 3Figures relate to 1977. 4Comparison based on figures for United Kingdom and Italy in 1977. 5Manual workers only. 6Figures relates to April 1979. 7Comparison based on figures for United Kingdom and Italy in April 1979. Source: Eurostat—"Wages and Income" (1–1980 and 4–1980).
Comparable figures are not available for Japan; nor are comparable figures readily available on labour costs in
Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering Instrument Engineering October 1979: £ sterling 3.47 3.02 2.94 Index United Kingdom=100 163 157 157 Source: Monthly Labour Review.
Caution is required in interpreting these comparisons particularly those of hourly earnings owing to differences between countries in statistical definitions and methods of compilation. The data on labour costs are derived from the labour costs survey which is carried out on a similar basis in all European Community coutries.
26Wthe United States of America. However, some data for the United States of America are available on gross hourly earnings of production workers, as follows: