5.8 The 2009 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) shows that the highest earning UK industry was extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas, with average gross annual earnings of £89,800 per FTE. This compares to average gross annual earnings (mean) of £32,100 per FTE across all employee jobs in the UK. In the UK, the industry is characterised
by an older and predominantly male workforce. Table 5-2 disaggregates the workforce into proportions by age, gender and occupation.