§ Mr. Hordernasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing public sector pay for non-manual workers as a proportion of private sector pay, for each year since 1970, to the latest convenient date, taking 1970 as 100.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe following table shows the position in April each year based on the results of the New Earnings Survey.
Average weekly earnings of non-manual employees* in the public sector as a proportion of average weekly earnings of non-manual employees in the private sector, the proportion being expressed as an index with 1970 equals 100 F33 April Men aged 21 and over Women aged 18 and over 1970 100 100 1971 99.0 96.7 1972 102.1 101.3 1973 98.5 95.5 1974 101.2 94.5 1975 105.1 100.1 1976 109.6 103.6 1977 105.2 98.5 1978 98.7 92.2 1979 96.8 89.6 1980 99.7 90.8 * Full-time employees whose earnings in the survey period were not affected by absence. Changes in relative average earnings in different sectors will reflect changes in the structure of employment as well as changes in the rate of pay for comparable jobs. Also, the above figures for women will reflect the tendency for equal pay arrangements to come into force at an earlier stage in the public than in the private sector.