The United Kingdom’s full-time gender pay gap narrowed to 6.8% in April 2026, while low-paid employee jobs increased as a share of work, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed.
Men’s median hourly earnings in full-time jobs were £21.51 in April, compared with £20.05 for women. The measure uses median hourly pay excluding overtime across male and female employees; it does not show what people earn for the same job. The gap stood at 7.2% a year earlier and 9.4% in April 2016.
The figures extend earlier EconoTimes coverage of UK full-time pay. Across full-time and part-time work combined, median hourly earnings were £20.17 for men and £17.69 for women, The Independent reported. The outlet linked the lower figure for women to their greater representation in part-time jobs.
The gap also varied by age and occupation. Among workers ages 30 to 39, it was 4.1%, The Independent reported. Men earned more than women in full-time work across all major occupation groups; the gap ranged from 1.7% in sales and customer service to 12.7% in skilled trades.
Separately, employee jobs paying below two-thirds of median hourly earnings made up 2.8% of all jobs in 2026, up from 2.6% in 2025. High-paid employee jobs accounted for 23.7% of the total in April 2026, compared with 23.4% a year earlier, according to the ONS figures.
