Long Term Stats

Figure 3 shows an index of real earnings as at December each year from 1900 to 2008, constructed by joining together various indices of wages and earnings over the period and dividing by the price index shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 gives the percentage increase in the earnings index over periods of one, five, 10 and 20 years, ending in December each year, from 1986 to 2008. On the left are shown percentage increases in the nominal index. On the right are shown percentage increases in the real index, relative to retail prices. All figures have been shown on the seasonally adjusted basis; comparisons with earlier editions of ‘Long-term statistics’ may show small differences.