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Workers resident in Windsor & Maidenhead top average earnings league with those in Hastings at the bottom

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Figures show the extent to which the areas of South East England are split between those with residents on higher earnings and the those with the lower paid and a cursory look at house prices and rents across the region reflect this precise split, says GMB Southern Region

The mean average annual earnings of full time workers resident in Windsor & Maidenhead in 2021 at £57,455 put them top of the South East earnings league by borough. This amounts to 150.7% of the average earnings for all workers in the UK.

Second in the league were full time workers resident in Sevenoaks at £55,060 or 144.4% of the national average. They were followed by Tandridge at £53,564 (140.5%), Surrey Heath £53,229 (139.6%), Mole Valley £51,865 (136%), and Waverley £49,994 (131.1%).

At the other end of the earnings league for full time wages were workers resident in Hastings at £29,405 or 77.1% of the national average. Second from bottom was the Isle of Wight at £32,493 (85.2%), just below Arun at £32,757 (85.9%), Thanet at £33,031 (86.6%) and Portsmouth at £33,131 (86.9%).

The average annual earnings of workers resident in the South East in 2021 at £42,220 was 110.7% of the UK average which was £38,131.

These figures are from a new study by GMB of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) of mean average annual gross earnings for full time employee jobs for 2021 from the Office for National Statistics Table 8.7a. The figures for workers resident in each borough is set out in the table below. For 2021 no figures are available for workers resident in Tunbridge Wells, Elmbridge or Spelthorne.

  2021 % of UK average
  United Kingdom  38,131 100.0
  Great Britain 38,335 100.5
  England and Wales 38,560 101.1
  England 38,880 102.0
       
  South East  42,220 110.7
       
rank      
       
1 Windsor and Maidenhead  57,455 150.7
2 Sevenoaks 55,060 144.4
3 Tandridge 53,564 140.5
4 Surrey Heath 53,229 139.6
5 Mole Valley 51,865 136.0
6 Waverley 49,994 131.1
7 Guildford 49,455 129.7
8 Wokingham  49,178 129.0
9 Hart 48,874 128.2
10 South Oxfordshire 47,654 125.0
11 West Berkshire  47,228 123.9
12 Buckinghamshire 46,877 122.9
13 Reigate and Banstead 46,671 122.4
14 Tonbridge and Malling 46,090 120.9
15 East Hampshire 45,008 118.0
16 Lewes 44,414 116.5
17 Winchester 43,759 114.8
18 Mid Sussex 43,622 114.4
19 Horsham 43,551 114.2
20 Runnymede 43,348 113.7
21 Reading  43,147 113.2
22 Fareham 43,040 112.9
23 Vale of White Horse 43,002 112.8
24 Bracknell Forest  42,534 111.5
25 Epsom and Ewell 42,146 110.5
26 Woking 41,638 109.2
27 Rushmoor 41,356 108.5
28 Basingstoke and Deane 41,119 107.8
29 Rother 39,740 104.2
30 Milton Keynes  39,502 103.6
31 New Forest 39,436 103.4
32 Oxford 39,333 103.2
33 Cherwell 38,984 102.2
34 Test Valley 38,974 102.2
35 Wealden 38,836 101.8
36 Canterbury 38,639 101.3
37 Dartford 38,508 101.0
38 Eastleigh 38,381 100.7
39 Maidstone 38,374 100.6
40 Brighton and Hove  38,327 100.5
41 Swale 38,068 99.8
42 Slough  37,554 98.5
43 Crawley 36,967 96.9
44 Gravesham 36,816 96.6
45 Dover 36,796 96.5
46 Chichester 35,953 94.3
47 West Oxfordshire 35,935 94.2
48 Gosport 35,707 93.6
49 Medway  35,484 93.1
50 Worthing 35,417 92.9
51 Folkestone and Hythe 34,949 91.7
52 Adur 34,769 91.2
53 Havant 34,670 90.9
54 Ashford 34,292 89.9
55 Southampton  34,271 89.9
56 Eastbourne 33,759 88.5
57 Portsmouth  33,131 86.9
58 Thanet 33,031 86.6
59 Arun 32,757 85.9
60 Isle of Wight  32,493 85.2
61 Hastings 29,405 77.1
       
  Tunbridge Wells NO DATA  
  Elmbridge NO DATA  
  Spelthorne NO DATA  

Justin Bowden, GMB Southern Regional Secretary said:

“These figures graphically demonstrate the extent to which the areas of South East England are split between those with residents on higher earnings and those with the lower paid. A cursory look at house prices and rents across the region reflect this precise split.

“After the pandemic, all workers across the South East are facing severe costs of living pressures as inflation bites into living standards. This is a very big issue that will dominate politics and the economy over the next year.

“These figures clearly demonstrate that the very lowest paid in our region are facing the most severe pressure, particularly when compared to house prices and rents. Specific action on social housing and wages are required to deal with them.

“Cost of living is on the rise, with fuel bills and petrol prices sky rocketing, not to mention the National insurance contributions having gone up at the beginning of the month.  Any pay rise that does not reflect this is a de facto pay cut.”

 

 

Notes to Editors:

1] Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2021, Office for National Statistics, Crown Copyright Reserved

2] The figures are annual Mean salary for all Full-time employees, residential based in April 2021

3] Full-time is defined as employees working more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).

4] ASHE is based on a 1% sample of employee jobs, drawn from HM Revenue and Customs Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records.

5] Further details are available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2021