Only 1 in 4 Britons 'had pay rise this year'

Barely a quarter of workers in Britain have had a pay rise this year and many people have had their wages cut, according to a new study.The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said almost three in five (58%) employees have had their pay frozen since January 2011, while around one in 20 (6%) have had their base pay cut, with the public sector being the worst affected.Only 28% of more than 2,000 employees quizzed have actually received a pay rise, the institute said. Answers from the remaining six percent of people did not indicate whether their pay had risen, fallen or stayed the same.Workers who have received a pay rise have seen wages improve by an average of 3%.The survey named the North East as the "pay-freeze capital" of the UK, as three quarters of workers in the region reported that their salary has not increased since the start of the year. In the West Midlands some 66% have received no pay rise this year.Workers in Scotland are most likely to have received a salary boost, said CIPD.The institute's performance and reward adviser Charles Cotton said: "Even those who are lucky enough to get an increase in their pay will find it below the current cost of living, compounding consumer belt-tightening. Inflation figures later this month will highlight growing pricing pressures, which is likely to continue for some time.""We will see some increase in the number of private sector workers receiving a pay award in the second half of 2011, especially in the retail, catering and hotel sectors, as the increase to the national minimum wage comes into effect in October."However, given that the busiest time for pay awards in the private sector is between January and May, most of these workers who have not received a pay rise so far will now probably not get one at all," he said. Within the private sector, those most likely to have seen their base pay go up in the first six months of this year work in manufacturing (48%) and finance (46%), the institute said.Those working in hotels and restaurants (19%) and construction (25%) are the least likely to have seen their salaries increase.By age, 25 to 34 year olds are most likely to have received a pay rise (31%), while those aged 55 and over least likely (23%), said the organisation, which is the professional body for human resources professionals.