Private sector pay in perspective, 1998-99 - We reflect on the renumeration scene in the past wage round and assess, in turn, the varying pattern of pay rises in 13 key sectors of the economy. Our sector-by-sector review, based on information gathered from 958 private sector settlements in a wide range of manufacturing and service organisations, finds that employers in most sectors awarded lower rises than in the previous wage round. The overall private sector median stands at 3% in the 12 months to August 1999, down 0.5 percentage points on a year earlier, although this figure masks some important sectoral differences.