This week the TUC published its analysis on the gender pay gap, which highlights that the gender pay gap for all employees is 14.9%. The analysis, based on data on employee earnings in 2022 taken from the latest ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, indicates a number of factors that influence the gender pay gap, including:

·         age – the gender pay gap for older women is largest with women aged between 50 and 59 having the highest pay gap (20.8%), followed by women aged 60 and over (18.4%) and then women aged between 40 and 49 (18.1%);

·         region –the gender pay gap is widest for women in the South East of England (17.9%), followed by women in the East of England (17.5%) and in the East Midlands (16.6%); and

·         industry – the gender pay gap persists even in female-dominated industries like education (22.2%) and healthcare and social work (14%). The gender pay gap is largest in the finance and insurance industry (31.2%).

It is important to note that the ONS statistics, from which the TUC have completed their analysis, are taken from approximately 1% of the workforce in the UK (via HMRC records) and so, whilst still a very substantial sample size,  remain prone to statistical error.  

Since 2011, the gender pay gap has fallen, but a rate of 0.4% per year on average - which means parity (were that to continue at the same rate) would not be reached until 2044.