THE disparity of wages received by workers in different areas of Dorset has been revealed in a regional league table.

A new survey has shown that of the 36 different economic areas in the south west, people in Purbeck and north Dorset are in the bottom third for earnings – compared to those with higher wages elsewhere.

The table of average wages in the area was compiled by the ManpowerGroup.

At the top are those in Bath and north-east Somerset, with an average annual pay packet of £36,700.

Torridge, a local government district in Devon, is at the bottom of the table with an average wage of £19,700.

Those in north Dorset came in 31st with £21,100, while Purbeck was four places above, with workers earning around £22,100 on average.

In 16th place was Bournemouth, where residents earn £24,300, with Christchurch workers in 14th position earning £24,900.

But Poole and east Dorset are the highest on the list, with the latter coming in at the top of the Dorset areas on the table in sixth place.

Employees earn an average of £26,300 in the area.

Poole was in eighth place, with £25,700 its average.

The figures also showed there is still a gap between the genders when it comes to pay.

Men were paid an average of £15.79 an hour for full-time work, compared to £13.05 for women.

However, there was slightly good news too – the average pay for those living in the south west rose by 0.8 per cent as compared to last year.

This is half the rate of increase in the UK as a whole, where pay has risen 1.6 per cent.

The average wage for the whole of the region is £24,400 – lower than the UK average of £27,200.

1 – Bath and North East Somerset: £36,700

2 – Tewkesbury: £32,700

3 – Cheltenham: £30,600

4 – North Somerset: £27,800

5 – Stroud: £27,600

6 – East Dorset: £26,300

7 – South Gloucestershire: £26,200

8 – Poole: £25,700

9 – Cotswold: £25,400

10 – Forest of Dean: £25,400

11 – Swindon: £25,300

12 – Wiltshire: £25,300

13 – City of Bristol: £24,900

14 – Christchurch: £24,900

15 – Sedgemoor: £24,800

16 – Bournemouth: £24,300

17 – Taunton Dean: £24,100

18 – Exeter: £23,900

20 – Mendip: £23,600

21 – East Devon: £23,300

22 – West Devon: £23,300

23 – Gloucester: £22,900

24 – South Somerset: £22,500

25 – South Hams: £22,300

26 – Plymouth: £22,200

27 – Purbeck: £22,100
28 – Weymouth and Portland: £22,100

29 – Teignbridge: £21,700

30 – Mid Devon: £21,500

31 – North Dorset: £21,100

32 – Cornwall: £20,900

33 – North Devon: £20,700

34 – West Somerset: £20,700

35 – Torbay: £20,200

36 – Torridge: £19,700