TUC calls for skilled jobs as pay gap widens
HIGH earners in the North West have seen wages grow at a faster rate than the poorest paid over the last 13 years according to figures from the TUC.
A study of official figures by the trade union group shows salaries for the top 10% rose faster than the bottom 10% from 2000 to 2013.
The best-paid group were on 3.3 times the pay of the bottom 10% last year, up from 3.2 in 2000. Nationally higher earners are on 3.7 times the pay at the bottom, up from 3.5.
Those in the bottom 10% saw average wages rise from £10,000 to £14,257, or 42.5%, while the top earners enjoyed a 48% rise from £31,864 to £47,141.
The North West’s top 10% is below the national average of £53,720 and well below the figure in the South East of £57,490, and London at £81,797. However, it was higher than Yorkshire on £45,633.
According to the TUC, which based its research on the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), the pay gap widened most sharply in London, by 14%, and was evident in every region except Wales and the south west.
North West TUC regional secretary Lynn Collins said: “We’ve talked often about how the North West needs investment in jobs, skills and pay to prevent a widening in the gap between North and South. The figures on take home pay show us that this gap is still there, but reminds us there is more we need to do on our own doorstep to overcome the growing inequality between those at the top and those at the bottom. This growing pay gap is bad news for our economy and bad news for living standards.
“We need to make sure this gap doesn’t widen and if we don’t see more high-skilled jobs with decent pay being created, this worrying pattern is likely to become even more entrenched. We hear of a recovery but it’s got to be one that people feel and are a part of – not just those higher earners at the top.”
