28 = worst age

28 years old has been the worst age to be during the financial crisis, according to official figures, which show that those in their twenties have felt the tightest squeeze on pay.

Experts have looked at the hourly wages in 2009, at the height of the financial crisis, and compared them with last year, adjusting for the impact of rising prices.

Those in their twenties were being paid 12 per cent less last year -- that's effectively the buying power of what they were getting.

But the biggest impact of low pay and rising prices has been on 28 year olds: in 2009 28 year-olds were earning nearly 18 per cent more than the inflation-adjusted figure for 2013.

The Office for National Statistics says those in their 30s suffered a 9 per cent squeeze and those in their fifties were 5 per cent down.