The EU country where people are paid the most

The cost of living crisis that is battering the UK is also seeing hardships fall on other European nations.

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine and the energy crisis it helped spark have seen prices surge, with inflation across the European Union (EU) as a whole hitting 11.1% in the year to November.

Some EU countries are seeing inflation above 20%, with the rate soaring to 23.1% in Hungary, and Latvia (21.7%), Lithuania (21.4%) and Estonia (21.4%) not far behind.

The lowest annual rates of inflation were registered in Spain (6.7%), France (7.1%) and Malta (7.2%).

The UK currently has an inflation rate of 10.7% – down from 11.1% in October, which was the highest rate since October 1981.

Average salaries for workers in EU countries now show who is being paid the most – with stark differences between the highest and lowest incomes.

Luxembourg tops the list, with the average salary standing at £72.25k, while Denmark is second (£63.26k).

Filling out the top three is Ireland, where the average annual pay per worker is £50.35k.

Bulgaria, where inflation is currently at sits at 14.3%, sits at the bottom of the salary list, where workers earn an average of just £10.35k.

Watch: Government 'united' with BoE to get inflation down

Just above it is Hungary (£12.62k) and Romania (£13k), according to figures from Eurostat.

The average salary for full-time employees in the UK was £33k for the tax year ending on 5 April 2022 – up 5.7% on the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This places the UK just above countries like Spain (£28.18k) and Italy (£29.95k).

The highest-paid professions in the UK are managers, directors and senior officials, where average annual pay can reach up to £80k.

A wave of strikes is hitting Britain in the run-up to Christmas as workers across the country stage major walkouts.

Disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and conditions are set to escalate in the coming weeks and into January.

Union leaders are demanding pay rises and better working conditions from the government, with workers including train drivers, teachers and postal staff joining picket lines this month.

Ambulance workers began striking on Wednesday, while unions have warned of more nurse strikes in the coming months unless the government agrees to a 19% pay rise.