Income And Wealth (Distribution)

Mr. Field
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the tables in paragraphs 5.2, 5.12 and 6.3 in the Royal Commission on the distribution of income and wealth's background paper No. 8.

Mr. Jim Lester
The latest figures corresponding to the tables in the Royal Commission on the distribution of income and wealth's background paper No. 8 are:

Ratio of non-manual to manual average weekly pay(1 )(2 ) ( paragraph 5.2)
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|    |
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|1979|
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Great Britain: Pay differentials by skill in engineering

Ratio of weekly earning including overtime, to average for all adult male workers in engineering(2 ) (paragraph 5.12)
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|            |
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|Skilled     |
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|Semi-skilled|
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|Labourers   |
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|Total       |
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Great Britain: Ratio of women's to men's weekly earnings in industry Adults only (1 )(3 ) ( paragraph 6.3)
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|          |
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|Non-manual|
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|Manual    |
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|All       |
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Notes:

(1 ) Based on full-time adult employees—men aged 21 and over, women aged 18 and over—in production industries whose pay was not affected by absence.

Source: New Earnings Survey, April 1979.

(2 ) Based on June 1979 survey of earnings by occupation.

(3 ) In interpreting the differences between men's and women's earnings it needs to be emphasised that such differences will reflect differences in the distribution of men and women betwen various occupations, industries and age-groups and differences in length of service and hours—including overtime hours—worked. They do not necessarily imply differences in the rates of pay for men and women doing similar work.