The weekly earnings of full-time workers in the UK fell, in real terms, each year between 2008 and 2013, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says in cash terms earnings grew, by only 2% a year, from 2009 to 2013.
But after taking inflation into account the purchasing power of those earnings suffered an overall fall of 8%.
This means that the real value of the UK's average weekly earnings are now back to the level of 2002.
The ONS said this retrenchment of real earnings was due to the impact of the banking crisis and subsequent economic downturn.
"This adjustment [for inflation] reveals that weekly earnings for full-time employees increased steadily by 24% overall between 1997 and 2008, peaking at £561," the statistics agency said.
"Subsequently, weekly earnings decreased every year, by 8% in total, so that in April 2013 they were similar to the level seen in 2002."