All UK businesses with 250 employees or more were required to submit data to the Government Equalities Office by midnight on Wednesday 4th April on mean and median gender pay gaps.
Over 10,000 companies submitted data showing nearly eight out of 10 companies and public sector bodies paying men more than women. 78pc of the 10,015 firms have a pay gap in favour of men.
Among the largest employers in the UK – those with 20,000 people or more – Lloyds Bank had the largest median pay gap at 42.7%, followed by the Royal Bank of Scotland (36.5%) and Lloyds Banking Group (32.8%). And at the other end of the scale, American Airlines had a gap in favour of women (-3.9%) as did BT (-2.3%), while McDonalds, Costa and Primark reported no wage gap.
The UK’s gender pay gap has refused to close for years. At 9.4% in 2016, the difference between average pay for male and female full-time employees was little changed from the 10.5% gap five years earlier.
The British government has previously said closing work-related gender gaps could add about £150 billion to the UK’s annual GDP by 2025. Companies who do not provide their figures will face legal action including court orders and fines, but only after they have been given a month’s grace to report the figures.
