Wages for doctors, judges and lawyers have seen huge rises, more than doubling in 30 years, but the lowly paid, like forklift drivers and bakers, are worse off than they were in the 1970s.
According to the Britain's Livelihood Crisis report published by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), forklift drivers' wages have dropped 5% from 1978 to 2008 while judges, barristers and solicitors have experienced jumps of about 114% in their pay.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber says Britain has got much wealthier over the last three decades but many people on low and middle incomes have "barely seen any improvement in their incomes" and some have seen their take-home pay fall.
"People often cite the recession as the source of this income squeeze but a livelihood crisis has been brewing for decades," he says.
Change in earnings, 1978-2008 Profession, change in earnings (%)
Medical practitioners 153
Judges, barristers, solicitors 114
Secondary school teachers 67
Quantity surveyors 65
Accountants 60
Welfare/social workers 60
Engineers 55
Bricklayers 37
Architects, town planners 36
Mechanical engineers 34
Skilled motor mechanics 34
Carpenters and joiners 30
Plasterers 30
Heavy goods vehicle drivers 19
Bus and coach drivers 11
Sheet metal workers 8
Bakers -1
Packers, bottlers, fillers -3
Forklift truck drivers -5
Download the Britian's Livelihood Crisis report