They were figures that painted a picture of health when it came to jobs in Dundee.
Last week, the Tele revealed how hundreds of people had secured jobs in the past year after dropping off the jobseekers list.
But now we can reveal that the city still has some work to do to match what’s going on elsewhere in Scotland — as well as arrest the decline in some of its traditional trades.
The average worker in the city earns about £50 a week less than the average Scot, according to the most recent figures.
In 2014, full-time workers in the city earned an average of £467.80 before tax, compared to £518.2 in other parts of the country and £520.80 in Britain as a whole.
The average hourly wage in Dundee was £11.92 compared to £13.04 in Scotland and £13.15 in Great Britain.
A gender pay gap also exists in the city, with women earning £96.50 less than men per week.
The average weekly wage in Dundee has grown by £111.70 since 2004.
But the growth has been slower than in Scotland as a whole, with the average wage increasing by £127.60 on a national level.
Currently, the biggest employment sector in Dundee is public admin, education and health with more than 30,000 jobs in that field.
However, traditional sources of employment, such as manufacturing and construction, have been steadily declining.
In 2013, there were 4,500 Dundonians employed in manufacturing compared to 5,500 in 2009.
The figure increased by 600 in 2014, but still didn’t reach the 2009 level.
The construction industry has seen an ever sharper dip, with 3,500 employees in 2014 compared to 4,100 in 2009.
Deborah Miller, director at Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said: “I’m surprised to hear that the average wage in Dundee is so much lower that the rest of Scotland.
“I know that traditionally, wages in Dundee haven’t been as high as in the central belt or Aberdeen, which benefits from the oil industries.
“But I would have expected the numbers to even out when you take into account the rest of Scotland.
“The gender pay gap, on the other hand, doesn’t surprise me.
“It seems to be in line with the UK as a whole, with women often being paid less than men in the same role.
“It is very disappointing that this is still the case, and a lot of work is being done to rectify this.
“We have growing sectors such as the biotech and design industries, as well as the arrival of the V&A which will bring jobs to the area.
“Hopefully this will compensate for the decline in manufacturing and construction.”
In Dundee, 13,900 people — 14.3% of the city’s population — have no qualifications.
This percentage is one of the highest in Scotland, topped only by Glasgow (15.4%) and West Dunbartonshire (15.5%).
The majority of Dundonians (77.4%) have an NVQ1 or equivalent qualification.
But most of the city’s jobs in the emerging industries require employees with degrees, according to Paul Farley, managing director of Dundee-based Tag Games. He said:
“Dundee is a great place to work. Yes, the salaries are lower than in the likes of London and Aberdeen, but the cost of living is also a lot lower.
“Unlike in more traditional sectors, we don’t have much of a gender pay gap. There are many opportunities and great earning potential for women, but unfortunately the industry attracts too few of them.
“There are more people employed in the games industry in Dundee than ever before.
“However, the creative industries usually need people with degrees.
“If a construction firm closes, it doesn’t really get replaced with an alternative, meaning that trades are disappearing.”