AVERAGE weekly wages in Redditch have been falling since 2014 – with pay in the town behind not only Worcestershire and the West Midlands, but the entire country.
That’s the finding of a report carried out by the borough council into ‘help me run a successful business’ – one of the authority’s key strategic aims.
The report’s authors believe this is down to either the borough failing to attract higher paid jobs or new jobs paying less – or a combination of both.
It also found that on average women living in Redditch do more lower paid jobs than men, earning a weekly salary of £410 compared to £497.90 – a difference of 21 per cent.
In terms of where they work – those prepared to travel outside the borough for employment – the disparity is even greater with women earning £393.60 a week compared to £563.60 for men – a difference of 43.2 per cent.
The figures also show Redditch residents take home on average of £453, compared to £538.70 in Worcestershire, £517.40 in the West Midlands and £552.70 in the UK as a whole.
