More than 800 island employers will shortly be asked for details of pay and patterns of employment.

It’s all part of the Manx government’s annual earning survey.

The survey, to be conducted by Cabinet Office’s economic affairs unit, will take a random sample of 2,500 emloyees, with a questionnaire sent by email or letter to the last known employer of each person.

The identity of all employers and employees is kept strictly confidential throughout the process.

Information gathered forms an important part of government’s statistical database and helps to inform policy development.

It allows the government and the public to better understand whether the average hourly rate of pay in the island is increasing and, if so, by what rate.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said: ’The survey will provide an important snapshot of earnings in the Isle of Man.

’Results will help us compare salaries in the island with those in the UK.’

For more information, contact 685752.