The University of Manchester has reported a 15.7% mean ethnicity pay gap for 2025, down from 19.9% in 2024.
The university’s median ethnicity pay gap for 2025 was 14.4%, up from 12.2% in 2024. Its mean ethnicity bonus gap was -0.6%, compared to -5.4% in 2024, while its median was 5.7%, up slightly from 5.4% the year prior.
The organisation’s mean gender pay gap for 2025 was 12.4%, down from 15.5%, while its median was 10.8%, up from 9.8%. Its mean gender bonus gap was 52.5%, up from 41% previously, and its median was 18.6%, compared to -96.3% in 2024.
A total of 3.5% of men and 4.3% of women received a bonus payment, down from 6.7% and 7.2% respectively in 2024. Bonus payments in 2024 were higher than usual due to cyber-incident and boycott-related payments.
The University of Manchester’s 2025 mean disability pay gap was 12.7%, up from 11.1%, while its median was 8.6%, up from 6%. Its mean disability bonus gap was 72.2%, up from 55.2% in 2024, and its median was 13.1%, down from 50% previously.
The organisation’s mean sexual orientation pay gap was 12.9%, up from 12.3% in 2024, while its median was 8.5%, up from 7.6% the year prior. Its mean sexual orientation bonus gap was 32.5%, up from 1.1% in 2024, and its median was 14.2%, down from 42.6% previously.
A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “Women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees, disabled workers and LGB+ staff remain less represented at the highest-paid levels of the university. The reduction in the casual workforce has changed the overall picture, as these roles generally have higher proportions of women and Black, Asian and ethnic minority staff. Representation continues to improve faster at lower grades than at senior levels, so overall gaps persist.
“Looking ahead, at the university executive level we are committed to building a clearer picture of the underlying structural factors that clearly continue to shape our pay gaps, why they persist and the meaningful actions we can take to address them. This will be taken forward alongside the new university [equality, diversity and inclusion] framework launching this year and aligned to our strategy to 2035, ensuring equity remains a clear priority and that progress is sustained over time.”
