Insee Focus · April 2021 · n° 230

The purchasing power of net wages in the private sector increased by 13,1% between 1996 and 2018

Between 1996 and 2018, the average net wage per full-time equivalent in the private sector increased by 13,1% in constant euros, i.e. by 0.6% per year on average. The wages of industrial and blue-collar workers rose more than those of the other socio-professional categories. Wage discrepancies slowly decreased throughout two decades, mainly as they narrowed among the lowest paid half of employees. The average pay gap between women and men is 16.3% in 2018, having narrowed by a quarter since the mid—1990’s.