GMB Study on East of England Pay League

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East Hertfordshire on £60,724 tops East of England average earnings league with North Norfolk on £27,411 lowest for full time workers resident in area new GMB study shows

These figures are clear evidence of the need to level up economic activity and prosperity in the less prosperous areas to that of that that prevails in the commuter areas says GMB London 

Annual earnings of full time workers resident in East Hertfordshire averaged £60,724 in April 2019, topping the East of England league for average earnings. Next was St Albans £58,734, followed by Maldon £56,138, Brentwood £52,695, Uttlesford £47,357, South Cambridgeshire £47,040, Hertsmere £46,364, Epping Forest £44,216 and North Hertfordshire £44,150.

The average earnings for all full time workers resident in the East of England region was £39,601 in April 2019. This is higher than average earnings for the UK of £37,428 and England of £38,187.

At the other bottom end of the earnings league was North Norfolk where full time workers resident there was £27,411. Next lowest was Breckland £28,958, followed by Kings Lynn and West Norfolk £31,031, Great Yarmouth £31,380, Ipswich £31,048, Fenland £32,246, Norwich £32, 413, Harlow £32,422, Peterborough £32, 472 and Tendering £33,050.

The mean average figures for full time workers resident in all local authority districts in East of England are set out in the table below. Sources and definitions are set out in notes to editors below.

Median earnings- the point where 50% are below and above the figure - points to a different distribution of earnings. In Brentford the median was £41,567 and St Albans £41,502. In North Norfolk the median was £25,601 and Great Yarmouth £25,943. The median figures for all areas in East of England are set out in notes to editors below.

Warren Kenny, GMB London Regional Secretary, said:

“These figures confirm that average earnings for full time workers in the commuter belt to the north and east of London into the capital are higher than for workers across the region as a whole. Indeed there are huge differences between the areas with the highest and lowest levels of earnings.

“What has to be drawn from these figures are the imperatives for policy makers to promote measures that assist lower paid workers across the region. 

“These figures are also clear evidence of the need to level up economic activity and prosperity in the less prosperous areas to that of that that prevails in the commuter areas. This is something that was promised by the Government in the recent election. 

“A proactive industrial strategy is essential to deliver this. The budget in March will be a key event that has to spell out the measures to achieve this aim which GMB supports.

“In addition there is a need for more homes for rent at genuinely affordable rents. This is an acute need in the commuter areas. More homes for rent supplied by councils is the cheapest way to do this. 

“Transport is another key issue across the region. Cheap and reliable bus and rail services are essential for what is now a twenty four hour economy. 

“So too are measures to boost pay. The national minimum wage increases plus commitments to pay a living wage are very important. All public sector undertakings should pay both direct and outsourced workers a living wage. This should also apply to all utilities and outsourced transport services. 

“In addition, measures to promote union organisation for lower paid workers in the labour intensive services are needed. Penalties need to be higher to stop employers victimising workers who try to join unions. Employers hostility to unions is a major problem for lower paid workers in East of England. Action by the new government to deal with it would be welcome. "

ENDS

Contact: GMB on 07921 289880

Notes to editors 

1 Sources and definitions. 

ASHE covers employee jobs in the United Kingdom. It does not cover the self-employed, nor does it cover employees not paid during the reference period.  Annual estimates are provided for the tax year that ended on 5th April in the reference year. They relate to employees on adult rates of pay who have been in the same job for more than a year.  ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once.  Guidance and methodology used to collate ASHE data can be view here.

Mean - the mean is a measure of the average which is derived by summing the values for a given sample, and then dividing the sum by the number of observations (i.e. jobs) in the sample. In earnings distributions, the mean can be disproportionately influenced by a relatively small number of high-paying jobs.

2 Table of median earnings by local authority districts in East of England.

Table of Median earnings