PEMBROKESHIRE residents have felt the pinch more than almost every other county in Wales, according to new research.

The county was the second worst hit by the recession, a new study of official earnings data by the GMB union shows.

The real value of average earnings for employees across Pembrokeshire dropped by 19.4% between April 2008 and November 2013 – nearly seven per cent more than the Welsh average of 12.5% and nearly six per cent more than the UK average of 13.8%.

The reduction in real wages in Pembrokeshire fell just short of Bridgend which was the worst hit county in Wales with a 21.2% drop in real earnings.

The mean gross annual earnings of Pembrokeshire residents in 2008 was £21,946 compared to £21,587 in 2013. This represented an decrease of £359 or 1.6%, but equates to a 19.4% fall in real earnings when taking into account the 17.8% inflation rate between April 2008 and November 2013.

Across Wales, the mean gross annual earnings in 2008 was £21,944, rising £1,166 or 5.3% to £23,110 in 2013, but representing a 12.5% fall in real earnings.

GMB Wales Secretary John Phillips said: “These alarming figures show how hard pressed working people across the UK are struggling to pay their bills after years of wage decline and attacks on the living standards of families throughout the land.

“Working people deserve and need a decent pay rise to halt the drop in living standards.”

The GMB study was based on the 2008 to 2013 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) of about 181,000 employees published by the Office for National Statistics.