Pay settlements even out

July 1 2003 - Public sector pay awards push up settlement levels The median level of pay settlements for the second quarter of the year is running at 3.2 per cent, up from the previous estimate of three per cent and up also on the three per cent median in the first quarter. A prime factor behind the rise in the second-quarter median is public sector pay deals giving rises at or above 3.2 per cent. These are among the key points from the latest pay settlement analysis, published today in IDS Report. The results, based on more than 430 pay reviews so far in 2003 covering some five million employees, show:

* in the private sector the pattern of pay rises is very varied, with relatively high increases in sectors such as construction but pay freezes in some manufacturing and hotel groups, reflecting difficult trading conditions. Overall, the median level of pay award in the second quarter in the private sector is three per cent by contrast the public sector median pay rise for the second quarter is 3.35 per cent, pulled up particularly by awards in some local authorities the key range for pay reviews overall, in which half of all pay rises monitored are concentrated, is 2.6 to 3.5 per cent in the second quarter.

Ordering IDS Report

The full text of the pay settlement analysis together with a breakdown of settlement levels by month and a list of recent settlements in named companies is published in IDS Report 884. A copy is available as part of a three-month trial subscription for £45 from Incomes Data Services.