Private sector pay deals reach 9.8%

RPI remains staggeringly high at 12.6%, but pay is pushing up too, with workers achieving a median 9.8% pay increase in the private sector over the last couple of months. Payline, which records actual pay settlements, shows single month earnings growth at 5.9% in September but this rises to 8% (9.8% in the private sector) if August deals are included. These figures mask a good proportion of above-inflation settlements. Average weekly earnings (AWE) data for August shows a 5.6% rise across the economy for the month, with the private sector ahead overall on 6.4% and the public sector lagging way behind on 2.4%.