Scottish wages up 21 per cent in a decade - ONS

Scottish wages are outperforming the rest of the UK when both median annual pay and wage growth over the last decade are taken into account, according to latest Office for National Statistics figures.

The data, sourced by the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre show Scottish wages third highest in the UK, behind only London and the South East, with an average wage of £27,953 – but wage growth in Scotland has outstripped both of those regions over the past decade.

Only Northern Ireland and the North-East of England have seen wages grow faster, but wages as a whole remain significantly lower in these areas than in Scotland.

The latest revelations follow the news earlier this week that employment was on the rise and productivity in Scotland’s economy was growing four times faster than the rest of the UK.

SNP MSP Ash Denham, who sits on Holyrood’s Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee, said: “These figures prove that the Scottish Government is taking positive and decisive action to increase wages across the country. Not only does Scotland now have the third highest salaries in the UK, with the average median salary at nearly £28,000 in 2016, but our wages have also grown at the third fastest rate of any UK region – nearly 6 percentage points faster than London.

“We’ve also seen this week that employment has risen and productivity in Scotland is growing four times faster than the rest of the UK.

“Since the SNP came to power in 2007, we have taken decisive action to grow wages and the economy by investing in infrastructure and skills, supporting local businesses, protecting public sector jobs and being positive in promoting the benefits of the Scottish living wage to employers and employees.

“These efforts are clearly paying dividends, but the threat of a Tory hard Brexit will be worrying many people across Scotland, with loss of access to the single market set to have a damaging impact on workers’ wagesand conditions. It is vital that Scotland’s place in Europe is maintained and we avoid the economic disaster that a Tory hard Brexit would be for our economy.”