ONS reports total pay increases of 1.9%
17 October 2019
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released documentation that evidences that there has been an increase in total pay between the periods of June to August 2019, compared to the period from June to August 2018. The uplift is by approximately 1.9% which also considers the effect of inflation. The figures include total pay to employees and encompasses bonus payments. Regular pay, exclusive of those bonuses, has increased by 2% over the same period.
Although the news that there has been a boost to pay is positive and fully welcomed, the statistics demonstrate that average weekly earnings still sit below the rates that were observed prior to the 2008-2009 recession. The total pay for staff was reported as £502 (gross) per week in August 2019 as opposed to the slightly higher figure of £525 recorded on February 2008.
The survey delves into the pay figures across various sectors and shows that most have seen a significant increase of over 3% to annual pay growth, with the exception of manufacturing, which saw a boost of 2.7% to total pay. There was also disparity between the public and private sectors as the private sector observed higher growth levels than public bodies, which seemingly saw higher growth levels in the period between March to May 2019. Experts have explained that this could be due to the NHS amending the dates for awarding pay rises for certain staff.
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