How much did people earn in the 1980s? - UK
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Although the 1980s was characterised by high unemployment, people in work were better off by the end of the decade.
Wages increased for most jobs in the 1980s. Prices also rose, but people were still better off in 1989 than they were in 1980.
The average weekly wage in 1980 was £124.50 for men and £78.80 for women. In 1989 it was £269.50 for men and £182.30 for women. The 1989 male wage in 1980 money was £167.00, an increase of 34%. The 1989 wage for women in 1980 money was £113.00. This was an increase of 43%.
Both men and women were better off in 1989 than they had been in 1980.
The gap between men's and women's earnings closed slightly in the 1980s. Women earned 63% of male earnings in 1980, by 1989 this had increased to 68%.
Manual occupations
Rates of pay for male manual workers improved in the 1980s, although manual jobs were falling behind white-collar jobs.
- 1980 - average male manual wage age 21 and over - £111.70 per week (£5,808 pa)
- 1989 - average male manual adult wage - £217.80 per week (£11,326 pa)
Source: New Earnings Survey (NES) time-series of gross weekly earnings from 1938 to 2017, published by the Office for National Statistics
Inflation took a big chunk of the spending power. Rates of pay went up by a factor of 2 in the 1980s, but prices were 1.6 times higher.
Women doing manual jobs were paid a lot less:
- 1980 - average female manual wage age 18 and over - £68.00 per week (£3,536 pa)
- 1989 - average female manual adult wage - £134.90 per week (£7,015 pa)
Source: New Earnings Survey (NES) time-series of gross weekly earnings from 1938 to 2017, published by the Office for National Statistics
Non-manual occupations
Both men and women earned more in non-manual (white-collar) jobs.
- 1980 - average male non-manual wage age 21 and over - £141.30 per week (£7,347 pa)
- 1989 - average male non-manual adult wage age - £323.60 per week (£16,827 pa)
Source: New Earnings Survey (NES) time-series of gross weekly earnings from 1938 to 2017, published by the Office for National Statistics
- 1980 - average female non-manual wage age 18 and over - £82.70 per week (£5,127 pa)
- 1989 - average female non-manual adult wage - £195 per week (£10,140 pa)
Source: New Earnings Survey (NES) time-series of gross weekly earnings from 1938 to 2017, published by the Office for National Statistics
The gap between non-manual and manual wages increased in the 1980s. Non-manual wages increased by 129% for men and 135% for women.
The unemployed
The 1980s was known for high levels of unemployment. The unemployment rate peaked at 11.4% of the population in 1984. Unemployment benefit rates were:
| 1980 | 1989 | |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefit weekly | £20.65 | £34.70 |
Unemployment benefit increased by 41% between 1980 and 1989. It fell well behind increases in prices (60%) and manual incomes (95%).
Pensioners
The state pension in the 1980s was:
| 1980 | 1989 | |
|---|---|---|
| State pension weekly | £27.15 | £43.60 |
The state pension increased by 61% between 1980 and 1989. It only kept pace with inflation. There was no improvement in living standards for pensioners in the 1980s.
Image by Douglas Grohne licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).
Armed services
- 1984 - Private soldier - £64.35 to £107.60 per five-day week
- 1977 - Second lieutenant - £66.10 to £95.70 per five-day week
Source: HC Deb 08 February 1985 vol 72 cc739-40W
Teachers
- 1984 - average salary - £10,100 pa
- 1984 - senior teacher - £13,300 pa
- 1984 - head teacher - £13,200 pa
Source: Hansard: Teachers (Salaries) Volume 72: debated on Thursday 7 February 1985
School leavers
The school leaving age in the 1980s was 16. Children did GCEs and CSEs in their final year at school. Less academic pupils could leave before taking exams if they were 16.
In 1988, you could leave school at 16 and train as a bus driver with London Transport. They were offering £90.00 per week whilst training. Qualified drivers could earn £180.00 per week.
Unemployment was a big problem for those leaving school in 1980. In Merseyside there were 17,000 school leavers and just 1,928 jobs for them. By July 1982 one in two school leavers was out of work. [2]
By the second half of the 1980s jobs were easier to find straight out of school, if you had qualifications. Crown Estates offered opportunities for school leavers with 5 or more GCEs to start as administrative officers on £4,809 pa in 1988. They could expect to nearly double that salary by their early twenties.
Footballers
In the 1984/5 football season the average pay of First Division players was around £25,000. Those in the Fourth Division got just £8,000.
Image by West Midlands Police licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Police
In 1981 trainee police constables earned up to £4,956 under the age of twenty-two and £5,919 from aged twenty-two.
A police inspector's salary started at £12,282 and increased to £13,994 after four years' service.
Source: HC Deb 26 February 1985 vol 74 cc92-5W
What were the best paid jobs?
The highest paid executive of the 1980s was William Brown, a broker at Lloyds. In 1989, he was paid £2,000,000.
In 1982-3 Richard V Giordano, the Chief Executive of BOC (British Oxygen) was paid £521,500.
Source: The Guinness Book of Records, 1990 page 135 and 1985 page 197
Politicians
In 1980 MPs were paid £12,000. In 1981 their salary increased to £13,950. By 1987 MPs were paid £18,500.
Source: 'Members' pay and allowances - a brief history', by Richard Kelly
What did other jobs earn?
This is a selection of jobs that were advertised in the national press in the 1980s.
- Guard on the London Underground (1980) - £89 - £100 per week
- Junior RAF technician (1980) - £96 - £105 per week
- Salesman (fitted kitchens) (1988) - £18,000 pa
- London bus driver (1988) - £180 per week
- Security officer with Group 4 Security - £173 per week
- Fireman (1981) - £4,434 pa
- Toolmaker at Ford (1980) - £127 per week
- Prison officer (1988) - £13,243 pa
- Petty Officer in the Royal Navy (1980) - £6,200 pa at age 22
- Secretary (London) (1989) - £13,000 pa
- Office Junior (London) (1989) - £8,500 pa
- Trainee accountant (West Midlands) - £7,000 pa
References
[1] 'Two million - before it gets rough' published in The Guardian, 28 August 1980, page 12
[2] 'Record Jobless boosted by school leavers', by Keith Harper, published in the The Guardian, 21 July 1982, page 1
By Steven Braggs, October 2022
Read more:
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- How much did people earn in the 1960s - UK?
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