LONDON, Nov 1 Reuters British workers have had their biggest rise in weekly pay in at least a quarter of a century with the pace of earnings growth for women outstripping that of men, according to a comprehensive labour market survey published on Wednesday.

Weekly earnings for fulltime employees rose by 6.2 in the 12 months to April the period covered by the latest Annual Survey for Hours and Earnings ASHE which is produced by Britain39;s official statistics agency.

This was the fastest growth since comparable records began in 1997.

Despite the increases, workers were out of pocket because of the even bigger jump in inflation over the 12 months to April.

Median weekly earnings for fulltime employees fell by 1.5 on the year when adjusted for the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers39; housing costs, the ONS said.

The increase in weekly earnings was sharpest for fulltime employees in the private sector whose earnings jumped by a record 7.7, while their peers in the public sector had a 3.7 rise, slowing from 4.9 a year earlier.

Average weekly pay for all men rose by 6.8, lagging behind a 9.1 increase for women, although the difference in pay growth was smaller when only fulltime employees were considered.

Median weekly fulltime earnings for women were 13 lower than for men.

The Office for National Statistics said the biggest increases in pay by sector were recorded in lowerpaying professions with earnings in caring, leisure and other service occupations…