Public sector pay 'flat for a decade' in real terms, Nisra figure suggest

The typical full-time weekly public sector wage is now £708 according to Nisra figures

Typical weekly earnings for public sector workers in Northern Ireland have not increased in real terms in the last 10 years, new official figures suggest.

"Real earnings" means the value of pay adjusted to take account of inflation.

The typical full-time weekly public sector wage increased in cash terms from £570 to £708 between 2012 and 2022.

But once inflation is accounted for the value of those earnings have not changed in a decade.

Workers across many parts of the public sector are currently being balloted for industrial action over pay while others are already on strike.

Unions say that weak pay growth since the time of the financial crisis has been exacerbated by the recent surge in inflation.

The figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research (Nisra) suggest real earnings in the private sector have increased by 11% in the last decade but are still well below typical public sector wages.

In cash terms the typical full-time private sector weekly wage increased from £393 in 2012 to £544 in 2022.

Northern Ireland public sector earnings are consistently higher than in the private sector but the gap of 30% in 2022 was the smallest in the last 20 years.

Some of the difference between the public and private sector figures are due to differences in the composition of the respective workforces.

Many of the lowest-paid occupations, such as hospitality and retail, exist almost exclusively in the private sector, while in the public sector there is a larger proportion of graduate-level and professional occupations.

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Looking at just the past year, real typical weekly earnings across all full-time employees in Northern Ireland fell by 4.5%.

That is the largest annual fall on record and reflects the impact of rising inflation.

By contrast 2021 saw a record 7% rise in real earnings but that was significantly distorted by the impact of the furlough scheme.

People who were furloughed typically received just 80% of their normal pay.

So when they came off furlough their wages automatically increased.

The figures for annual earnings, which are measured differently from weekly earnings, suggest that the typical full-time employee in Northern Ireland earned £30,000.

That compares to £33,000 for the UK as a whole.

Annual earnings of £54,500 would put someone among the top 10% of earners in Northern Ireland.

All the figures are contained in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

The UK-wide survey of employers is based on a 1% sample of employee jobs.

It is drawn from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records.