Analysis and action on living standards
Entering employment, acquiring new skills and progressing up the pay ladder are important steps in many people’s lives, and essential for improving their living standards. But changes in the labour market, educational opportunities and the wider economy mean that different generations face different work and pay-related challenges, shifting across the life course.
Service-sector-related roles – including care, leisure services, cleaning and retail – dominate the three lowest-paid of the nine groups that occupations are commonly clustered in. The data in this section demonstrates how the likelihood of working in one of these low-paying occupations has changed across time, and how cohorts compare at each age.
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‘All ages’ refers to those aged 16-64. Occupations are categorised based on average hourly earnings. The three lowest-paying occupational groups are elementary occupations, sales and customer service occupations and caring, leisure and other service occupations.
RF analysis of ONS, Quarterly Labour Force Survey
‘Occupations are categorised based on average hourly earnings. The three lowest-paying occupational groups are elementary occupations, sales and customer service occupations and caring, leisure and other service occupations.
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