TUC: UK near the bottom of the global rankings for real wage growth
28 Feb 2017 12:46 PM
New analysis published yesterday (Monday) by the TUC finds that the UK ranks 103 out of 112 countries for pay growth since the financial crisis.
The analysis shows that while workers in most countries saw real terms pay increases between 2008 and 2015, UK workers saw the value of their wages fall.
The TUC warns that the UK’s poor global ranking is unlikely to improve soon, with the latest monthly figures showing real wage growth at its lowest rate for almost two years.
The Office for Budgetary Responsibility and the Bank of England both expect real wages to continue fall. And the TUC says that with prices being pushed up in the shops by the falling pound, the threat of another living standards crisis has increased.
Research published last year by the TUC revealed that the UK experienced the sharpest fall in real wages of any OECD country with the exception of Greece. Yesterday’s analysis shows that this fall was not only bad among developed countries, but globally too.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “UK workers suffered one of the worst pay squeezes in in the world after the financial crash. And with food prices and household bills shooting up again, another living standards crisis is a real danger.
“Next month’s budget must have a clear plan for helping hard-pressed families – millions are still worse off than before the crash.
“The Chancellor should end the pay restrictions on nurses, teachers and other key workers that are making them thousands of pounds poorer. And if we are to build a high wage economy we need stronger action to raise pay in low-pay, low-productivity sectors – and that means giving those workers stronger rights to collective pay bargaining.”
Notes to Editors:
- The analysis is based on figures issued by the International Labour Organisation alongside their Global Wage Report 2016/15 (published on 15 December 2016): http://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/global-wage-report/2016/lang--en/index.htm
- The results are based on the average annual growth in real wages over the post-crisis period.
- For most countries the average is based on annual figures for 2008-2015, but we have included countries with partial information – where a minimum of five annual observations over the post crisis period are available. Of the ILO published figures for 134 countries, 22 countries were omitted altogether, 33 were based on a partial sample and 79 on a full sample.
Real wage growth 2008-2015
| |
Country
|
Real wage growth
|
|
1
|
Tajikistan
|
14.4
|
|
2
|
Zambia
|
12.1
|
|
3
|
Cambodia
|
10.4
|
|
4
|
Mongolia
|
9.7
|
|
5
|
China
|
9.0
|
|
6
|
Georgia
|
8.2
|
|
7
|
Belarus
|
7.9
|
|
8
|
Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
7.7
|
|
9
|
Oman
|
7.2
|
|
10
|
Bulgaria
|
6.9
|
|
11
|
Armenia
|
6.8
|
|
12
|
Kyrgyzstan Republic
|
6.8
|
|
13
|
Egypt
|
6.8
|
|
14
|
Viet Nam
|
6.4
|
|
15
|
Turkmenistan
|
6.2
|
|
16
|
Lesotho
|
6.2
|
|
17
|
Saudi Arabia
|
6.2
|
|
18
|
India
|
5.5
|
|
19
|
Moldova, Republic of
|
5.3
|
|
20
|
Dominican Republic
|
5.1
|
|
21
|
Nepal
|
5.0
|
|
22
|
Azerbaijan
|
4.4
|
|
23
|
Qatar
|
4.4
|
|
24
|
Mauritius
|
4.4
|
|
25
|
Thailand
|
4.3
|
|
26
|
Panama
|
4.1
|
|
27
|
Turkey
|
4.0
|
|
28
|
Mozambique
|
4.0
|
|
29
|
Uruguay
|
3.8
|
|
30
|
Kazakhstan
|
3.4
|
|
31
|
Bangladesh
|
3.3
|
|
32
|
Costa Rica
|
3.0
|
|
33
|
Benin
|
3.0
|
|
34
|
Peru
|
2.9
|
|
35
|
South Africa
|
2.7
|
|
36
|
Russian Federation
|
2.6
|
|
37
|
Montenegro
|
2.6
|
|
38
|
Poland
|
2.5
|
|
39
|
Romania
|
2.5
|
|
40
|
Chile
|
2.5
|
|
41
|
Indonesia
|
2.4
|
|
42
|
Kuwait
|
2.4
|
|
43
|
Malaysia
|
2.3
|
|
44
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
2.3
|
|
45
|
Brazil
|
2.2
|
|
46
|
Albania
|
2.2
|
|
47
|
Zimbabwe
|
2.2
|
|
48
|
Honduras
|
2.1
|
|
49
|
Ecuador
|
2.0
|
|
50
|
Macau (China)
|
1.8
|
|
51
|
Latvia
|
1.8
|
|
52
|
Sweden
|
1.8
|
|
53
|
Pakistan
|
1.8
|
|
54
|
Morocco
|
1.7
|
|
55
|
Estonia
|
1.7
|
|
56
|
Norway
|
1.6
|
|
57
|
Slovakia
|
1.6
|
|
58
|
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
|
1.6
|
|
59
|
Tunisia
|
1.5
|
|
60
|
Ukraine
|
1.5
|
|
61
|
Paraguay
|
1.4
|
|
62
|
Jordan
|
1.3
|
|
63
|
New Zealand
|
1.2
|
|
64
|
Korea, Republic of
|
1.1
|
|
65
|
Lithuania
|
1.1
|
|
66
|
Colombia
|
1.0
|
|
67
|
Switzerland
|
1.0
|
|
68
|
Australia
|
0.9
|
|
69
|
Germany
|
0.9
|
|
70
|
Malta
|
0.9
|
|
71
|
Canada
|
0.8
|
|
72
|
Philippines
|
0.7
|
|
73
|
Slovenia
|
0.6
|
|
74
|
Denmark
|
0.6
|
|
75
|
France
|
0.6
|
|
76
|
United States
|
0.5
|
|
77
|
Belgium
|
0.5
|
|
78
|
Singapore
|
0.5
|
|
79
|
Hungary
|
0.5
|
|
80
|
Czech Republic
|
0.5
|
|
81
|
Portugal
|
0.4
|
|
82
|
Bahrain
|
0.4
|
|
83
|
Finland
|
0.4
|
|
84
|
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
|
0.3
|
|
85
|
Hong Kong (China)
|
0.3
|
|
86
|
Austria
|
0.2
|
|
87
|
Iceland
|
0.2
|
|
88
|
Taiwan (China)
|
0.1
|
|
89
|
Luxembourg
|
0.1
|
|
90
|
Israel
|
0.1
|
|
91
|
Serbia
|
0.0
|
|
92
|
Ireland
|
-0.1
|
|
93
|
Cyprus
|
-0.1
|
|
94
|
Spain
|
-0.1
|
|
95
|
Nicaragua
|
-0.1
|
|
96
|
Netherlands
|
-0.1
|
|
97
|
Japan
|
-0.2
|
|
98
|
Puerto Rico
|
-0.3
|
|
99
|
Croatia
|
-0.3
|
|
100
|
El Salvador
|
-0.4
|
|
101
|
Botswana
|
-0.7
|
|
102
|
Italy
|
-0.7
|
|
103
|
United Kingdom
|
-1.0
|
|
104
|
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
|
-1.6
|
|
105
|
West Bank & Gaza
|
-1.6
|
|
106
|
Kenya
|
-1.7
|
|
107
|
Mexico
|
-2.1
|
|
108
|
Uganda
|
-2.6
|
|
109
|
Iran, Islamic Republic of
|
-3.0
|
|
110
|
Greece
|
-3.6
|
|
111
|
Jamaica
|
-4.2
|
|
112
|
Sri Lanka
|
-4.2
|