12 December 2013: Commenting on the latest annual pay statistics published today (Thursday) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which show that the full-time gender pay gap increased to 15.7 per cent in 2013 (up from 14.8 per cent the year before), TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:
“This year has seen a shock rise in the gender pay gap after years of slow, steady progress. Ministers should be ashamed of presiding over this latest dismal record on pay.
“It is not right that in Britain today women still earn 15 per cent less per hour than men, a pay gap that costs full-time women over £5,000 a year.
“The UK’s five million women part-time workers are faring even worse on pay, with two in five now earning less than the living wage.
“The light touch, voluntary approach to tackling gender pay inequality is clearly failing. We need tougher action to force companies look at their pay gaps.
“The government can lead the way by making all new public sector vacancies available on a part-time or flexible basis, so that women don’t have to trade down jobs if they need to work fewer hours to balance their career with caring responsibilities.”
- The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings is available at www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/annual-survey-of-hours-and-earnings/2013-provisional-results/stb-ashe-statistical-bulletin-2013.html
- The TUC has calculated the gender pay gap by comparing the mean hourly pay, excluding overtime, of full-time men and women. Mean hourly full-time pay for men is £16.91 an hour, and £14.25 for women. This hourly pay gap of £2.66 adds up to £5,187 over the course of a year for a full-time worker.
- The gender pay gap using median hourly earnings also increased from 9.5 per cent to ten per cent.
