The UK’s gender pay gap widens to 8.3%, but is below pre-pandemic levels

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the gap between the average earnings of men and women in full-time work reached this figure in April, increasing from 7.7% in April 2021.

However, it is down from 9% in April 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK labor market hard.

Head of the Department of Statistics of the Labor Market and Households of the National Statistics Office David Freeman said: “The gender pay gap is now much lower than it was before the pandemic.

“Although it covers the last two years, these figures have been distorted by the effects of Covid-19, so it is better to look at longer-term trends.”

The ONS has shown that the gender pay gap is particularly strong for older workers.

For full-time workers aged 40 to 49, the pay gap was 10.9%, compared to 3.2% or less for those under 40.

The latest figures also highlighted that the highest paid men still earn significantly more than the equivalent women.

There was a 15.5% pay gap between the highest paid men and women, while there was a 3% gap among the lowest paid.

However, there were signs that the gap could be narrowing in some of the highest-paid roles.

The biggest fall in the gender pay gap in a specific job was among managers, directors and senior executives, where the gap fell to 10.6% in 2022 from 16.3% in 2019.

Recent figures have also highlighted the significant differences in the gap between UK regions.

U Northern Irelandwomen did earn more than men this year, with a 4.6% difference in their favor.

The biggest gap was in the South East, where the ONS recorded a 12.5% ​​gap in favor of men.