Table of contents
1. Introduction
This note presents 2 analyses of the Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) figures, which are published in the UK Labour Market Statistical Bulletin. We will update these analyses every month. The first section describes real AWE (AWE deflated by the Consumer Price Index). The second section analyses single month movements in the nominal AWE.
Back to table of contents2. Real AWE
The charts below show the recent movements in real AWE (whole economy). This is calculated as nominal unadjusted AWE, divided by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This series is calculated for regular and total pay at the whole economy level and then seasonally adjusted. The data in Figures 1 and 2 are levels of real and nominal AWE, shown on a monthly basis, with an index of 2000 = 100. Figure 3 shows 3 months on 3 months previous year increases in these derived indices. The data are available at data table X04 (125.5 Kb Excel sheet), together with estimates of real AWE at 2000 prices.
Comparing the 3 months to December 2015 with the same period in 2014, real AWE (total pay) grew by 1.8%, compared with 2.1% in the 3 months to November. Nominal AWE (total pay) grew by 1.9% in the three months to December, while the CPI rose by 0.2% in the year to December. Over the same period, real AWE (regular pay) grew by 1.9%, compared with 2.0% in the 3 months to November. Nominal AWE (regular pay) rose by 2.0% in the 3 months to December 2015.
Figure 1: AWE, Great Britain, regular pay: real and nominal, seasonally adjusted, 2000=100
January 2000 to December 2015
Source: Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey - Office for National Statistics
Download this chart Figure 1: AWE, Great Britain, regular pay: real and nominal, seasonally adjusted, 2000=100
Image .csv .xls
Figure 2: AWE, Great Britain, total pay: real and nominal, seasonally adjusted, 2000=100
January 2000 to December 2015
Source: Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey - Office for National Statistics
Download this chart Figure 2: AWE, Great Britain, total pay: real and nominal, seasonally adjusted, 2000=100
Image .csv .xls
Figure 3: AWE, Great Britain, total and regular real pay annual growth rates, seasonally adjusted
January to March 2001 to October to December 2015 (3 month average time periods)
Source: Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey - Office for National Statistics
Download this chart Figure 3: AWE, Great Britain, total and regular real pay annual growth rates, seasonally adjusted
Image .csv .xls3. Contributions to nominal AWE – single month
The wages and employment contributions underlying the latest AWE data are available on our website in the EARN02 data table (552.5 Kb Excel sheet) each month. The "employment contribution", shown in these charts, changes if the relative proportion of employment in the 24 industrial headings changes, but will not necessarily change if total employment increases. Employment contributions were significantly negative in 2009 and 2010, largely caused by a shift away from employment in Financial and Insurance Activities, which are relatively highly paid industries.
Figures 4 and 5 summarise the recent figures:
Figure 4: AWE, Great Britain, total pay by contributions
January 2001 to December 2015
Source: Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey - Office for National Statistics
Download this chart Figure 4: AWE, Great Britain, total pay by contributions
Image .csv .xls
Figure 5: AWE, Great Britain, regular pay by contributions
January 2001 to December 2015
Source: Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey - Office for National Statistics
Download this chart Figure 5: AWE, Great Britain, regular pay by contributions
Image .csv .xlsEmployment contributions were relatively small (0.1% for both total and regular pay) in December 2015.
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