Monday 18^th September was International Equal Pay Day, which is run by the United Nations. Astonishingly in the UK, 80% of employers are still paying men more than women, with companies over 250 employees having to publish gender pay gaps since 2017. Recent statistics revealed that women are still on average earning 91p for every £1 a male is earning, meaning the UK gender pay gap is currently running at 9.4%. Although this is a dreadful % the UK is not alone, the global % is much higher at 20%.

The Government now hosts a website, where you can check the gender pay gap (these are for employers with over 250 employees) Why not check if your employer is paying you fairly?

We randomly checked a few of the larger brand names and found that in the Mars Factory in Slough, women are paid £1.36 in comparison to men being paid a £1 and even our local Ford Motor Company is paying £1.02 to women in comparison to £1 to male employees.

There are still many industries which are lagging behind and paying women less, this will continue to impact on their ability to recruit new talent as many younger people want to work in a fair work place and will make choices on employment based on these criteria.

The biggest offenders are the Waste and Environment Services Sector, Vehicle Technicians and Mechanics, Financial Services and Health Care, all whose gender pay gap is over 25%.

The definition of Equal Pay

Equal Pay is when employees are given the same wage as someone doing the same/similar work or work of equal value.

How can employers ensure they have a fair and equal pay structure in their business?

Monitor all pay rates and gender of all employees and report on this annually

Support your managers with quality training on recruiting to help reduce discrimination.

If you are looking for support in recruiting fairly and equally, why not talk to one of our team at Axiom Personnel today.