Insurance firm QBE has reported a 19.7% UK gender pay gap for 2025.
Its 2025 Gender and ethnicity pay gap report also revealed that its median pay gap now stands at 22.8%, Both its mean and median gender pay gaps have decreased by 0.7% percentage points from 2024.
Since 2022, its mean pay gap has reduced by 5% percentage points from 24.7%, and its median pay gap has fallen by 5.6% percentage points from 28.4%.
According to QBE, its commitment to achieving fair pay during the recruitment process has contributed towards the reduction, as well as a continued focus on supporting the development of women in the organisation. Additionally, female representation increased across all levels including senior ones, indicating improvement in mid‑career progression routes.
In 2025, QBE’s mean ethnicity pay gap increased by 1.4% percentage points from 2024 to 5.9%, while its median ethnicity pay gap narrowed by 3% percentage points from 2024 to -4.3%.
This has largely been driven by its focus on more diverse representation across the organisation, resulting in greater representation in entry-level positions.
QBE has continued to focus on building a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Its initiatives include inclusion workshops to more than 500 UK people leaders; enhancing parental leave provision, with 157 employees utilising this since its launch in 2023 and having a 96% take-up among fathers; and broader commitments to flexible working, inclusive hiring, belonging targets and investment in women-in-leadership pathways.
Nikki Lees, people director at QBE European Operations, said: “We are once again seeing meaningful progress towards reducing our gender pay gaps. The continued downward trajectory of our mean and median gaps reflects the work we are doing to support fair pay and balanced representation at every stage of the employee life cycle. We’re pleased to see continued progress but recognise there is more work to be done.
“Building an inclusive culture remains a priority for QBE, ensuring that we are shaping a working environment where our employees feel they not only belong, but have space to nurture their talents and support their career ambitions. We will look to continue to build on the great initiatives we put in place in 2025.”
