Average hourly earnings of industrial workers rose by 5.7 per cent in the year to December 1998. Industrial workers now earn an average of £7.56 per hour, compared to £7.15 in December 1997, according to early estimates from the Central Statistics Office.

Significant differences, however, remain between male and female workers. Men earned an average of £8.09 per hour in the year to September 1998 (the latest figures available), compared to £5.85 for women.