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Wealthiest see fastest pay rises, says ONS

Pay is rising faster for the wealthiest in society, data published by the Office for National Statistics indicates.

The highest 10% of earners have saw an 81% rise in hourly rates between 1986 and 2011, while the lowest 10% of earners have experienced an increase of 70%.

Wage inequality increased between 1986 and 1998, but fell after the introduction of the National Minimum Wage.

Between 1998 and 2011, the largest fall in the gap between the top and bottom earners occurred in the North West, and the smallest fall was seen in Northern Ireland.

Among the top earners in the country were pilots and engineers, while waiters, waitresses and bar staff earned the least.

Analysis from the ONS suggests the National Minimum Wage introduction in 1999 helped the bottom 2% of earners with growth.

The bottom 1% of earners had real wage growth of around 70% over the period; in 1986 their full-time wage was at or below £3.48 and in 2011 it stood at £5.93 per hour.

Elsewhere, it was shown that real wage cuts occurred across the pay distribution following the 2008/9 recession.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .