Female employees in lower income jobs within the hospitality industry earn an average of £12,322 per year, compared to a male average of £15,459, making this the sector with the largest gender pay gap (25%) for low earners, according to research by Gumtree Jobs.
The report, Hidden heroes: Discovering the unsung workforce driving the UK economy, surveyed 354,216 UK employees with salaries under £30,000 per year. It also found that, overall, more than two-fifths (42%) of female respondents were paid less than £15,000 per year, compared to just under a quarter of men (23%).
The research found that, for respondents working within retail or fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), men receive almost a quarter (24%) more pay, with an average remuneration amount of £16,222 compared to their female equivalents' £13,094.
Female teaching and education employees stated that they were paid 23% less than male respondents (£15,376, compared to £18,953). However, women in computing and IT jobs have the smallest gap on the list, with men only being paid an average of 6% (£20,641) more than women (£19,483).
Linked to this, charity organisation the Fawcett Society has marked today (14 November 2019) as Equal Pay Day, the hypothetical day point during the year at which women in the UK stop getting paid compared to men.
A spokesperson for Gumtree said: “Female employees in low-income jobs are earning less than males in every industry in the report, even in sectors which are female dominated.
"These women are earning on average 16% less than their male counterparts; a lot of work needs to be done to close this gap and employers must look at their entire workforce, whether that’s low, mid or high-income earners.”
