Doctors and teachers have faced ‘unprecedented’ pay cuts in recent years, IFS says
Since 2007 doctors and experienced teachers have faced ‘unprecedented’ pay cuts, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said, as a new report showed recent trends in public sector pay.
Doctors have seen the biggest fall in their average pay in real terms, almost 15% lower today than in 2010 according to the research group while teachers’ pay is lower by about 9%, with cuts even larger for more experienced workers in the profession.
This is in comparison to private sector pay which rose by 4% from 2007 to 2023, while real public sector pay at the end of 2023 was 1% lower than at the start of 2007, the report found.
Despite recent pay increases in the public sector following industrial action, between December 2019 and November 2023 the IFS said average public sector pay fell by 0.3% in this period, compared to a 2.3% rise in the private sector.
Consistently cutting the pay of higher-paid public sector workers has only contributed to both the recruitment and retention crisis and ‘industrial strife’, IFS associate director Jonathan Cribb said, as the think tank highlighted the gap between higher-and-lower paid public sector workers has fallen by a third since 2007.
Nurses in England also fared particularly badly over the past 14 years with a significant reduction in their real pay and only a modest recovery in recent years.
Commenting on the findings, The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the research should be ‘essential reading for government ministers’ towards supporting fair pay in the profession.
“With repeated below-inflation pay awards, and the lowest pay deal in the entire public sector last year, ministers exposed nursing staff to a brutal cost of living crisis,” RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said.
“Experienced nurses are leaving for better pay abroad in soaring numbers too. These two trends are a direct consequence of the repeated political decisions to keep NHS pay down.
26 March, 2024
Left Foot Forward
Average public sector pay at the end of 2023 was 1% lower than at the start of 2007
Left Foot Forward
Average public sector pay at the end of 2023 was 1% lower than at the start of 2007
Since 2007 doctors and experienced teachers have faced ‘unprecedented’ pay cuts, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said, as a new report showed recent trends in public sector pay.
Doctors have seen the biggest fall in their average pay in real terms, almost 15% lower today than in 2010 according to the research group while teachers’ pay is lower by about 9%, with cuts even larger for more experienced workers in the profession.
This is in comparison to private sector pay which rose by 4% from 2007 to 2023, while real public sector pay at the end of 2023 was 1% lower than at the start of 2007, the report found.
Despite recent pay increases in the public sector following industrial action, between December 2019 and November 2023 the IFS said average public sector pay fell by 0.3% in this period, compared to a 2.3% rise in the private sector.
Consistently cutting the pay of higher-paid public sector workers has only contributed to both the recruitment and retention crisis and ‘industrial strife’, IFS associate director Jonathan Cribb said, as the think tank highlighted the gap between higher-and-lower paid public sector workers has fallen by a third since 2007.
Nurses in England also fared particularly badly over the past 14 years with a significant reduction in their real pay and only a modest recovery in recent years.
Commenting on the findings, The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the research should be ‘essential reading for government ministers’ towards supporting fair pay in the profession.
“With repeated below-inflation pay awards, and the lowest pay deal in the entire public sector last year, ministers exposed nursing staff to a brutal cost of living crisis,” RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said.
“Experienced nurses are leaving for better pay abroad in soaring numbers too. These two trends are a direct consequence of the repeated political decisions to keep NHS pay down.
Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward, focusing on trade unions and environmental issues
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