there are approximately five million public sector workers in the uk. between 2011 and 2013 there was a two-year pay freeze for all public sector workers earning an annual salary of £21,000 or more, which was expected to reduce public expenditure by £3.3 billion by 2014–15. in subsequent years a public sector pay cap resulted in annual public sector wage increases being effectively capped at 1% for 2013–2016, extended to 2020 in the 2015 budget. advice was given to ministers by the civil service that the policy would result in a pay cut for many people in real terms and could increase child poverty.<ref name="guardian27/10/2018"></ref> by 2015 the number of people employed in the civil service had been reduced to the lowest level since world war ii and public sector employees made up 17.2% of the total workforce, the smallest proportion since comparable records began in 1999. during the 2017 general election the conservative party proposed retaining the cap until 2020, potentially reducing public sector expenditure by £5bn. a labour party amendment to the 2017 queen's speech proposing the removal of the cap was defeated. a 2017 report commissioned by the office of manpower economics indicated that between 2005 and 2015 median hourly earnings fell by 3% in real terms for public sector workers whose salaries are set on the advice of pay review bodies (around 45% of public sector staff). in september 2017, the scottish government announced that it intended to end the public sector pay cap in scotland from 2018, and shortly afterwards the uk government announced the ending of the cap in england and wales. by autumn 2017 public sector pay had fallen behind private sector pay for comparable work.