A new online tool that allows the public to find out the gender pay gap for their occupation has revealed a 23.3% difference in the salaries of men and women in construction.
The online tool, created by Government and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and launched by Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening, has reported the average salaries for construction operatives as £9.14 p/hour for women, and £11.92 p/hour for men.
For project managers and other related roles, the gap is even greater at 45.4%, with women earning £8.05 p/hour, while men earn £14.74 p/hour.
The online tool is launched as details of how large employers will have to report their gender pay and gender bonus pay gaps from next April have been published.
The regulations, which will affect almost 8,000 employers with around 11 million employees, will shine a light on workplace practices that could be preventing women from reaching the top in their organisations.
Tackling injustices like the fact that women earn on average less than men is a key part of building a society and country that works for everyone, as Theresa May made clear in her first speech as Prime Minister.
The online tool uses the latest data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings to provide the most up to date gender pay gap data. The gender pay gap is now at a record low of 18.1% and the online tool will show the gender pay gap by profession, so that the public can see how their job measures up against the national average.
Alongside the tool, an online quiz has also been launched allowing people to challenge their knowledge of what the gender pay gap is for a variety of professions.
Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening commented: “Britain has the lowest gender pay gap on record, there are more women in work than ever before, more women-led businesses than ever before and there are now women on every board in the FTSE 100.
“But if we are to help women to reach their potential and eliminate the gender pay gap, we need to shine a light on our workplaces to see where there is more to do to. This tool will empower both men and women to challenge this issue in their profession and help people to make more informed decisions about their career.
“Employers must play their part in this too and take action to tackle the gender pay gap in their organisation. That’s why we are requiring large employers to publish their gender pay and gender bonus pay gaps for the first time ever and our regulations mean they can start getting ready to report from April next year.”
