Workplace Report July 2016

Pay and prices

Rise in deals stuck at 2.0% 


Updating of settlements has led to the percentage rise remaining unchanged in June.


Settlements on Labour Research Department’s Payline database for the three months to June show a midpoint (median) increase of 2.0% on the lowest pay rate — the same rise as for May.


If the standard increase — what most workers or grades received — is taken, the midpoint increase was also steady at 2.0%.


Retail price inflation rose by 1.6% in June and 1.4% the previous month, so workers’ living standards have been eroded. 


Pay analyst XpertHR saw its median rise for the whole economy return to 1.8% from 2.0%.


In the three months to May, the official Average Weekly Earnings figure for total pay, including bonuses, for the whole economy was up 2.3% from 2.0% for both April and March.


In manufacturing, growth was up to 2.2% from 1.7%, while for service growth was up to 1.9% from 1.6%.


For the private sector as a whole, the increase was up 2.5% against 2.1% the previous month. 


In the public sector, including financial services, earnings growth was steady at 1.7% but if financial services are excluded, growth was up to 1.9% from 1.8%.


The three-monthly increases in regular pay, excluding bonuses, for May were: whole economy 2.2% (2.3% in April); private sector 2.4% (2.4%); public sector, including financial services 1.6% (1.6%) and excluding them 1.7% (1.8%); services 1.9% (2.0%); and manufacturing 2.2% (1.9%).


www.lrd.org.uk/index.php?pagid=18

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices

www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/july2016#average-weekly-earnings