§ Mr. Gouldasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the United Kingdom and the United States of America the percentage increase in real wages per hour in
Percentage changes in Average gross hourly earnings* Retail prices Employment¶ Unemployment• Great Britain: April 1979 to April 1984 — +63 — +148 Manufacturing industries† +67 — -24 — Service industries‡ +78 — +1 — United States: 1979 to 1983 — +37 — +75 Manufacturing +32 — -12 — Transport and public utilities +32 — -3 — Wholesale trade +34 — +1 — Retail trade +27 — +4 — Finance, insurance and real estate +38 — +10 — Services≑ +36 — +15 — * Great Britain: full-time adult manual employees working a full week. United States: production or non-supervisory workers on private payrolls. † Based on divisions 2 to 4 of 1980 standard industrial classification in 1984 with comparable figures for 1979. ‡ Based on divisions 6 to 9 of 1980 standard industrial classification with comparable figures for 1979. ≑ Excluding those activites indicated above. ¶ Great Britain: employees in employment at March 1979 and 1984. United States: employees on non-agricultural payrolls. • Great Britain: claimant unemployed. The comparison is affected by 1983 budget provisions which enabled some some men aged 60 and over to receive benefits without signing on at an unemployment benefit office. Sources: Great Britain: New Earnings Survey; Employment Gazette (Department of Employment).
United States: Employment and Earnings (Bureau of labour Statistics).