THE REALITY of low wages in Weymouth and Portland has been highlighted by a regional league table.

A new survey has revealed that of the 36 different economic areas in the South West, people in Weymouth, Portland and Purbeck are in the bottom third for earnings.

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 and Torridge is at the bottom with an average wage of £19,700.

Those in West Dorset came in 19th at £23,600 while Weymouth came in just behind Purbeck at 28th with an average wage of £22,100.

Those living in North Dorset had the lowest average annual wages in the county with £21,100.

The figures also showed that there was still a gap between the genders when it came to pay.

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

There was some good news however, as the survey showed that average pay for those living in the South West rose by 0.8 per cent.

However, 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 was £24,400, almost £3,000 lower than the UK average of £27,200.

President of Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce Julie Cleaver said that the figures were not a surprise and that business leaders, the local authorities and the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership were working together to address them.

She said: “It isn’t a surprise to me. We know we need to increase wages in the area.

“It’s an issue that’s recognised by business leaders and the local authority and they are already working on ways to improve that.”

Mrs Cleaver added it was about addressing a skills gap and encouraging more businesses into the area.

She said: “There are pockets of growth bringing more jobs but we need more of them.”

She said they were starting to see the growth in areas like the Granby Industrial Estate, Osprey Quay and at Portland Port with more cruise ships coming in.

Mrs Cleaver said 87 per cent of Dorset business are small or micro businesses and by the nature of what they do they are small or growing and they don’t tend to operate at higher wages rates until they get going.

Average annual pay 2014

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

19. West Dorset £23,600

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