Britons’ real weekly earnings went up by nearly 2% last year in the biggest increase since the financial crisis, as low inflation and the introduction of the “national living wage” boosted take-home pay.
The official figures also showed that the gender pay gap had shrunk to the lowest level in nearly two decades, although the TUC said the divide was closing “at a snail’s pace” and that it would take decades for women to reach parity with men.
Workers received an average increase of 1.9% in weekly earnings in the year to April, according to the Office for National Statistics’ latest annual survey of hours and earnings. The figures were adjusted for inflation. Gross average earnings rose by 2.2% to £539 a week, from £527 in 2015.
The statistics office said the increase was due to a combination of earnings growth – boosted by the new national living wage of £7.20 for employees aged 25 and over from 1 April 2016 – and a low level of inflation at that time. It also reflects rises in the national minimum wage for younger workers from last October.
