Senior executives in the public sector were awarded pay rises of up to 9.5% last year, according to new research.
Public sector chiefs saw their average earnings rise to £169,000, the Incomes Data Services (IDS) survey shows.
Salaries of most chief executives in local government topped the £100,000-a-year mark, IDS said. At the same time, top management in government agencies saw their average earnings increase to £112,500.
Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier was top of the public sector pay league, with a salary and incentive package worth a potential £814,000.
Steve Tatton, editor of IDS Executive Compensation Review, said: “The public sector often likes to follow the private sector’s lead.
“Now it seems that top executives in the public sector have taken this one step further by being given top company-style pay rises.”
Figures from Deloitte show private sector executive pay rises in the same period averaged 7%.