Let's not use these below-average earnings figures

Published 18 March 2020

From Dave Holtum, Bathampton, Somerset, UK

Why do you use mean salary in your annual survey of science earnings? Most employees will probably earn less than this average figure (29 February, p 22).

In 2019, the median income for full-time workers in the UK was £30,353 and mean earnings were £37,428 per year. A relatively small number of high earners skews these figures.

The median is the preferred measure: 50 per cent of salaries are less than it. In the UK, about two-thirds of full-time salaries are less than the mean.