No Result
View All Result
Benefits Expert
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Alerts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • PROFILE
  • PENSIONS
  • GLOBAL REWARDS
  • FINANCIAL BENEFITS
  • HEALTH & WELLBEING
  • DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
  • PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Benefits Expert
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • PROFILE
  • PENSIONS
  • GLOBAL REWARDS
  • FINANCIAL BENEFITS
  • HEALTH & WELLBEING
  • DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
  • PODCAST

UK gender pay gap shrinking very slowly, statistics show

by Kavitha Sivasubramaniam
13/09/2023
Gender pay gap, pension, DEI, inequality
Share on LinkedInShare on Twitter

The UK’s gender pay gap is closing only gradually, with two-thirds (65%) of employers revealing a reduction in the six years since reporting became mandatory, according to new figures released today (13 September).

Analyss by BDO showed that the mean hourly pay gap between the sexes has only modestly shrunk by 2.1%, from 15.07% to 12.97%, in the same period from 2017/18 to 2022/23.

The accountancy and business advisory firm further found that the gap had widened for a third (34%) of companies.

BDO’s study, which involved around 5,300 organisations, including charities and public sector bodies, discovered that among those reporting a shrinking gap, the average mean gender pay gap fell from 19.1% in 2017/18 to 12.5% in 2022/23. Among companies with a growing gap, this increased from 11.5% to 17.6% in the same timeframe.

Based on this rate of progress, BDO predicts that the mean and median pay gaps will take 37 and 63 years to close respectively.

The study also showed that the greatest hourly pay gaps were in sectors including the financial services, construction and technology.

In terms of representation of female employees in higher pay grades, the analysis revealed a positive and notable rise, with an increase of 4.9% and 2.0% more women in the upper quarter and upper middle quarter of the hourly wage scale respectively.

According to BDO, this trend represents “a critical shift and one that is likely to have the most significant impact when it comes to closing the gender pay gap”.

David Ellis, head of strategic reward advisory at BDO, said: “While there has always been a lively debate over the usefulness of the gender pay gap reporting statistics in terms of measuring progress, they do serve an important purpose in keeping attention focused on this very important issue.

RELATED POSTS

staff, short-term, money, Jessica Bird, employers, financial education

Financial education 50/30/20 budgeting rule dubbed ‘terrible advice’ 

Physio, musculoskeletal, cash plan

Unum launches Health Plan 360 in cash plan market shake up

“While progress in reducing gender pay gaps may seem somewhat glacial, we are nevertheless now beginning to see some important emerging trends, notably the increase in female representation at the higher pay scale levels. This is undoubtedly an encouraging development and arguably more positive that the modest changes we’ve seen in the headline gender pay gap figures themselves.”

Next Post
bonus, Northern Ireland, pay

Huge jump in pay confidence among UK workers, index reveals

New EAPA chair named

EAP data casts light on effectiveness of counselling

SUMMIT

BENEFITS UNBOXED PODCAST

Benefits Unboxed
Benefits Unboxed

The podcast from Benefits Expert, the title for HR, reward and benefits professionals.

Seasoned professionals examine the challenges and innovations in today’s employee benefits, reward and HR sector. Every episode, they will unbox a key issue and unpack what it really means for employers and how they can tackle it.

The regulars are Claire Churchard, editor of Benefits Expert; Carole Goldsmith, HR director at the Royal Horticultural Society, and Steve Herbert, consultant and rewards & benefits veteran.

Benefits Unboxed – Hybrid work: reality versus rhetoric
byBenefits Expert from Definite Article Media

Return-to-office mandates are a topic that’s generating plenty of heat in the media, but how closely do the headlines match workplace reality? 

In this episode, one of a three-part series of 10-minute podcasts, hosts Claire Churchard and Steve Herbert discuss data that shows remote or home working is on the rise.

We look at what this means for HR, from balancing employee flexibility with business needs, to ensuring benefits packages remain fair and accessible. We discuss the pinch points, and the opportunities, in building the new normal of work.

Benefits Unboxed – Hybrid work: reality versus rhetoric
Benefits Unboxed – Hybrid work: reality versus rhetoric
31/08/2025
Benefits Expert from Definite Article Media
Search Results placeholder

GUIDE TO WORKPLACE PENSIONS



REQUEST A FREE COPY

OPINION

Steve Herbert, consultant, ambassador, reward, benefits, HR strategy

Steve Herbert: The art of the deal?

Lorna Ferrie, legal and compliance director, Mauve Group

Lorna Ferrie: hybrid is not a loophole, remote teams can’t ignore the pay transparency push

Holly Coe, Innecto Reward Consulting

Holly Coe: friendship is an overlooked superpower when tackling workplace absenteeism

Vitality. Pippa Andrews

Pippa Andrews: how to make exercise more enjoyable for women

SUBSCRIBE

Benefits Expert

© 2024 Definite Article Limited. Design by 71 Media Limited.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Follow Benefits Expert

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • In depth
  • Profile
  • Pensions
  • Global rewards
  • Financial benefits
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Diversity & Inclusion