Average weekly earnings for clerical and operative workers in the construction industry rose by 14.4 per cent from £408.03 (€518.46) to £466.75 in the 12 months to December 2000. Official statistics also record a 16.3 per cent increase in the hourly rate paid to all grades from £8.81 to £10.25, while the number of hours worked per week decreased by 1.7 per cent from 46.3 hours to 45.5 hours.