The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karren Dunnell, dated 12 November 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of earnings growth was for (a) male and (b) female employees aged (i) 18 to 29, (ii) 30 to 39, (iii) 40 to 49, (iv) 50 to 59 and (v) 60 years and over in each year since 1997. (162304)
Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) and are provided for all full-time employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
I attach tables showing median gross weekly earnings for full-time males and full-time females by age from 1997 to 2007.
All employees Percentage growth 18-21 Percentage growth 22-29 Percentage growth 1997 357 — 198 — 295 — 1998 373 4.4 205 3.7 309 4.6 1999 384 3.0 220 7.2 320 3.7 2000 398 3.6 220 0.0 333 4.0 2001 416 4.5 230 4.7 349 5.0 2002 430 3.5 239 3.6 362 3.7 2003 445 3.4 244 2.3 369 2.0 2004excl 463 4.1 250 2.5 382 3.5
30-39 Percentage growth 40-49 Percentage growth 50+d Percentage growth 1997 380 — 416.1 — 360 — 1998 396 4.0 432.2 3.9 376 4.4 1999 405 2.2 444.9 2.9 387 3.0 2000 421 4.2 456.5 2.6 397 2.7 2001 440 4.4 472.7 3.5 416 4.6 2002 452 2.8 488.5 3.3 430 3.4 2003 474 4.8 505.0 3.4 443 3.2 2004excl 491 3.6 529.1 4.8 462 4.2
All employees Percentage growth 18-21 Percentage growth 22-29 Percentage growth 30-39 Percentage growth 2004incb 460 — 250 — 376 — 488 — 2005 471 2.4 253 1.4 380 1.1 508 4.0 2006 487 3.4 262 3.6 392 3.2 527 3.9 2006c 484 — 262 — 391 — 525 — 2007 498 2.9 275 5.3 403 3.0 540 2.8
40-49 Percentage growth 50-59 Percentage growth 60+ Percentage growth 2004incb 526 — 482 — 376 — 2005 540 2.8 498 3.3 398 5.8 2006 563 4.2 517 3.8 422 6.0 2006c 559 — 516 — 422 — 2007 575 3.0 534 3.4 442 4.9 a. Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. b In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes. c. In 2006 a small number of methodological changes were introduced to improve the quality of the survey These include changes to the sample design itself, as well as the introduction of an automatic occupation coding tool. Figures are presented both excluding and including these changes for comparison purposes. d. Figures for 50-59 year olds and 60+ have only been produced since 2004. Prior to this the top age category produced was 50+.
All employees Percentage growth 18-21 Percentage growth 22-29 Percentage growth 1997 265.2 — 170 — 253 — 1998 276.5 4.2 177 4.2 264 4.0 1999 288.5 4.3 186 4.8 277 5.3 2000 298.1 3.3 192 3.2 288 3.8 2001 314.3 5.4 202 5.6 307 6.7 2002 330.7 5.2 212 4.6 325 5.7 2003 343.0 3.7 221 4.3 330 1.7 2004excl 360.8 5.2 230 4.4 349 5.8
30-39 Percentage growth 40-49 Percentage growth 50+d Percentage growth 1997 307 — 289 — 253 — 1998 319 3.7 297 2.7 265 4.9 1999 332 4.2 311 4.8 277 4.2 2000 341 2.7 321 3.1 286 3.3 2001 359 5.2 333 3.6 301 5.3 2002 375 4.5 349 4.9 314 4.2 2003 388 3.5 362 3.7 237 4.3 2004excl 411 6.0 384 6.1 346 5.8
All employees Percentage growth 18-21 Percentage growth 22-29 Percentage growth 30-39 Percentage growth 2004incb 356.7 — 228 — 345 —408 —380 —350 2005 371.4 4.1 233 1.9 353 2.2 426 4.5 2006 385.8 3.9 240 3.2 364 3.3 448 5.2 2006c 383.3 240 363 444 410 385 344 2007 394.0 2.8 254 5.7 374 3.1 460 3.6
40-49 Percentage growth 50-59 Percentage growth 60+d Percentage growth 2004incb 380 — 350 — 306 — 2005 396 4.1 374 6.9 319 4.3 2006 415 4.9 388 3.8 345 8.1 2006c 410 — 385 — 344 — 2007 420 2.4 396 2.9 357 4.0 a. Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. b In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes. c. In 2006 a small number of methodological changes were introduced to improve the quality of the survey These include changes to the sample design itself, as well as the introduction of an automatic occupation coding tool. Figures are presented both excluding and including these changes for comparison purposes. d. Figures for 50-59 year olds and 60+ have only been produced since 2004. Prior to this the top age category produced was 50+.