The Equalities and Human Rights Commission has published new ISER research by Dr Malcolm Brynin and Dr Simonetta Longhi on pay gaps in the UK workforce.
There are three separate reports on disability pay gaps, ethnicity pay gaps and gender pay gaps.
Ethnicity
This study finds pay gaps are much larger for ethnic minority men born abroad than for those born in the UK. Among Pakistani men- those born abroad experience a 30.9 per cent pay gap while those born in the UK experience 18.7 per cent pay gap between equivalent White British men. Among Bangladeshi men this rises to 47.8 per cent for those born abroad compared with 25.7 per cent for those born in the UK. For black Caribbeans the pay gaps are 17.4 per cent and 6.9 per cent respectively. Pay gaps for ethnic minority men were found to be much higher than those for ethnic minority women.
Gender
This study found the pay gap closing. In 1993 women earnt 73 per cent of the average male wage. By 2014 the gap had narrowed to just over 90 per cent. The gender wage gap for graduates declined in relative terms more than for others. Part-time employment works in the opposite direction and now part-time working women earn more than men.
Disability
Pay gaps are much larger for men and women with a disability that limits daily activities and work than those with a disability that only limits work. Pay gaps for men and women with work-limiting physical disabilities are much smaller than of those with a mental disability.
Recommendations to policy-makers and employers
An overarching report Tackling gender, disability and ethnicity pay gaps: a progress review
by Duncan Brown, Catherine Rickard
and Andrea Broughton at The Institute for Employment Studies examines the findings and makes key recommendations to employers and policy-makers.
- Employers, governments and voluntary bodies must work in partnership to tackle pay gaps. Employers in particular must prioritise the issue.
- Employers should improve equality monitoring to establish baseline information for ethnicity and disability pay gaps.
- Guidance for employers about analysing and presenting pay gap information should be provided.
- Introducing policies on flexible working, providing unconscious bias training, and removing personal details from recruitment applications are ways in which employers can improve fairness and equality; in the long term these should have a positive impact in reducing pay gaps.