Public and Private Sector Earnings Growth
The Taoiseach’s reply compared industrial earnings with average earnings in central and local government, providing figures through 1978. It reported annual industrial earnings growth of 8¼%, nearly 2¼ percentage points above the stated public-sector rate.
asked the Taoiseach if he will indicate the relative growth of earnings in the public and private sectors over the period 1970 to 1980.
Comment on this
An approximate measure of the relevant growth in earnings requested by the Deputy can be obtained by comparing weekly industrial earnings per person in transportable goods industries with the average level of earnings per employee for employees of central government and local authorities.
I propose, therefore, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate in the Official Report a statement showing the information I have referred to for the period from 1970 to the latest available year.
Following is the statement:
*Excluding Post Office. n.a. = not available.
†For central Government and local authorities the year is the financial year commencing 1 April.
Comment on this
Could the Minister give the two figures, the percentage increase from 1970 to 1980 of industrial earnings and the percentage increase in relation to the average earnings of employees?
Comment on this
The growth of weekly industrial earnings in the period from 1970 to 1978, the latest year for which information is available, was 8¼ per cent a year or almost 2¼ per cent a year greater than the 16 per cent annual growth rate in the average earnings of employees in central Government and local authorities.