Workers in London have suffered a bigger wage squeeze since the recession than those almost anywhere else in the country, official figures have revealed. Full-time salaries in the capital have only risen by 6.9 per cent in six years since the recession, according to the Office for National Statistics. This means London workers have seen their salaries rise by just over 1 per cent a year since 2008 – way below the rate of inflation. Full-time salaries in the capital have only risen by 6.9 per cent in six years since the recession, according to the Office for National Statistics . Workers almost everywhere else in the country have seen their pay jump more quickly, with only the West Midlands and North West lagging behind. Across England as a whole, pay has jumped 7.6 per cent – with double digit wage growth in Wales, and Scotland. Pay in the North East has risen by 13.4 per cent since 2008, 8.1 per cent in the South West, 7.5 per cent in the East and East Midlands. Despite seeing their pay squeezed more than elsewhere, salaries in the capital are still far higher than anywhere else in the country. The median full-time salary in London hit £34,069 last year – up from £32,813 in 2008. In the North East, by contrast, the average worker took home £24,876 last year. The squeeze on wages in the capital has coincided with a hiring splurge and strong economic growth. Despite seeing their pay squeezed more than elsewhere, salaries in the capital are still far higher than anywhere else in the country . Wages in the North East (left) have grown almost twice as fast as those in London since the recession in 2008 . Tony Travers from the London School of Economics told the Financial Times said workers in the capital were more likely to be young, in the private sector and out of a union. He said this meat bosses found it easier to control wages while hiring more staff. Professor Travers said: 'If the story of the last five or six years has been one of flexibility in the economy, accommodating radical changes because of the recession, then you would expect that to show up in London most. 'London does have the biggest private sector economy of any region in the country, so it's likely to be the least unionised, the most flexible.' Paul Bivand, of the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion, said there had been a boom in low-paid jobs in the capital since the recession. Over the past year pay has finally started to rise above of inflation. Average earnings increased by 2.1 per cent in the year to December, 0.3 per cent up on the previous month. At the same time, inflation fell to just 0.5 per cent in December. Unemployment, meanwhile, has continued to fall down to a near seven-year low – with the jobless total dipping by 97,000 in three months to December, taking the total number of people out of work to 1.86 million. This is down by almost half a million on a year ago. The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance has also been cut – falling by 38,600 in December to 823,000, the 27th consecutive fall and the lowest since the summer of 2008. The UK now has the third lowest unemployment rate in the European Union at 5.7%, behind Austria – on 4.9 per cent – and Germany, where only 4.8 per cent are out of work, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
Full-time salaries in the capital have only risen by 6.9% since recession . This means wages in London have risen by just over 1% a year since 2008 . Workers almost everywhere else in Britain have enjoyed better pay rises . Across England  pay has jumped 7.6% - and 13.4% in the North East .