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The gender pay gap in Britain has fallen by more than a quarter in the past decade, while the share of workers in low-paid jobs has hit a record low, official figures show.
data From National Statistical Office (ONS) also showed that average earnings have risen this year, but at a slower rate when inflation is taken into account.
The ONS said the gender pay gap among full-time workers stood at 6.9% in April 2025.
This was down from 7.1% in 2024 and means the overall gap has shrunk by more than a quarter over the past 10 years.
Average hourly earnings for full-time employees this year were £20.27 for men and £18.87 for women.
The gender pay gap measures the difference in pay for men and women in employment across the UK. It is not a measure of the difference in pay between men and women in similar jobs.
While the gender pay gap has been narrowing over time, men continue to earn more than women in full-time work across all major occupation groups.
This gap was largest in skilled trade occupations at 13.9%, and smallest in sales and customer service roles at 1.8%.
The ONS also found that the proportion of low-wage workers fell to 2.5% in April 2025, from 3.4% last year – the lowest since the data series began in 1997.
The data shows that the lowest-earning workers are aged 16 to 21, and are concentrated in junior roles and in the hospitality industry.
The ONS estimates that around 447,000 jobs were paid below the National Living Wage, which is 1.6% of all jobs.
Meanwhile, the statisticians’ body also revealed that the average earnings of all UK workers have increased this year.
Average weekly earnings for full-time employees in April 2025 were £766.60, up 5.3% on the previous year.
But this slowed growth to 1.1% in real terms – which takes into account consumer price index inflation including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH).
The average gross annual income for full-time employees was £39,039 in April 2025, up 4.3% from £37,439 the previous year.
The Resolution Foundation highlighted that progress is continuing in reducing pay inequality across the UK.
However, the think tank reported that recent wage data indicates that wage growth is slowing.
Ni Cominetti, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: “While the UK has struggled to secure strong and sustainable wage growth in recent decades, it has made progress on how wages are distributed across society.
“The gender pay gap has fallen below seven per cent for the first time – it was five times larger in the early 1970s – while the share of low-paid workers has fallen to a record low.
“Restoring productivity-based wage growth, while continuing progress on the gender pay gap and low pay, will help ensure that the benefits of economic growth are felt across society.”
Paul Novak, general secretary of the trade union tucSaid: “It is welcome that we are seeing progress towards closing the gender pay gap – but progress is still very slow.
“At the current rate of change, women will have to wait 31 years for pay parity. We have to do better.
“The employment rights Bill Banning exploitative, zero-hours contracts can help reduce the gender pay gap that affects women most, and ensure that all workers have the right to guaranteed hours contracts.