§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rise in earnings was for each region of the UK for 2002–03, listed in descending order. [157661]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Martyn Jones, dated 4 March 2004:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on the rise in earnings for each region of the UK between 2002 and 2003. I am replying in his absence. (157661)
Average earnings are estimated from the 2003 New Earnings Survey (NES) and are provided for full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period. This is the standard definition used for NES tables.
The following table gives the percentage increase in gross weekly pay for 2002 to 2003 for the regions as requested.
Percentage increase in average gross weekly earnings1 between 2002 and 2003 in each of the regions of the United Kingdom
(ranked in descending order of earnings increase)
Percentage Region Percentage increase in average weekly earnings South West 4.2 East 4.2 Wales 3.7 Yorkshire and The Humber 3.7 Northern Ireland 3.7 East Midlands 3.6 North West 2.6 Scotland 2.3 London 2.0 North East 2.0 West Midlands 2.0 South East 1.4 1Earnings of full time employees in the UK on adult rates, whose pay for the pay period was unaffected by absence Source: ONS New Earnings Survey, April 2003