Pay equality is getting closer for full-time workers under 40, a government report has revealed.
For workers aged under 40, the pay gap between men and women has closed to around 1%.
The gender pay gap for health professionals is 15.4%, slightly lower than the UK average.
The report, Secondary Analysis of the Gender Pay Gap, notes that this could be because more women than men worked as health professionals in 2013.
And the pay gap is wider for part-time workers, and those over 40.
Last year, the median pay gap for all full- and part-time workers was 19.7%, up by 0.1% since 2012.
However, the biggest pay gap is for those aged 40 to 49 – at 26.7%. The lowest gaps are for 18 to 21 year-olds at 3.5% and 22 to 29 year olds at 5.3%.
Former public sector HR director, Angela O’Connor, told HR magazine that she was encouraged by the “equalisation of younger age groups” but revealed concerns over part-time workers.
She said: “I think it can become a real ghetto area, particularly for women, and there is a real issue for HR in terms of how different resourcing modes and different models of flexibility.”
The full report is available to view on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website.
