Northern Ireland public service pay tops private sector by almost one third. Why is the gap so big?

Oct 31, 2019, 10:29 AM

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Fancy a 33% percent increase in your salary? One way to get it could be getting a job in the public sector. New figures reveal workers there earn nearly a third more than their private sector counterparts. The average wage for the public sector is £625 compared to a £479 weekly wage for those in the private sector. But why do public sector workers earn so much more? And how does our reliance on the public sector for well paid jobs affect our economy? Vinny got the views of former NIPSA Deputy General Secretary Bumper Graham and businessman and NI conservative member Frank Shivers.