UK Gender Pay Gap by Sector
Sector-level gender pay gap data from the UK Gender Pay Gap Reporting Service (CIPD analysis, 2023-24). Covers employers with 250 or more employees. Use this to benchmark your own gap before the next reporting deadline.
12.8%
National median pay gap (all employees)
6.9%
Full-time only gap
22.83%
Highest sector: Construction
0.58%
Lowest sector: Accommodation
Key findings
Biggest gap
Construction
Median gap: 22.83%. Sector code F.
Smallest gap
Accommodation and food service
Median gap: 0.58%. Driven by workforce composition and pay structures.
Reporting deadline
April 4 (private sector)
Employers with 250+ employees must report annually. 6 of 17 sectors report above the national average.
Sectors ranked by median pay gap
Median gender pay gap by sector (worst to best). Colour indicates severity.
Sector data
Median gender pay gap by SIC sector code, ranked from highest to lowest.
| Rank | Sector | SIC code | Median gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction | F | 22.83% |
| 2 | Finance and insurance | K | 21.2% |
| 3 | Education | P | 20% |
| 4 | Information and communication | J | 15.04% |
| 5 | Professional, scientific and technical | M | 14.1% |
| 6 | Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning | D | 13.17% |
| 7 | Water supply, sewerage and waste | E | 7.7% |
| 8 | Manufacturing | C | 7.35% |
| 9 | Real estate | L | 7% |
| 10 | Transport and storage | H | 6.6% |
| 11 | Administrative and support services | N | 6.44% |
| 12 | Other service activities | S | 6.3% |
| 13 | Wholesale and retail trade | G | 5.8% |
| 14 | Public administration and defence | O | 4.5% |
| 15 | Arts, entertainment and recreation | R | 2.66% |
| 16 | Human health and social work | Q | 1.45% |
| 17 | Accommodation and food service | I | 0.58% |
What this means for employers
1Who has to report
UK employers with 250 or more employees must calculate and publish their gender pay gap annually. This includes part-time workers and some agency workers. The count is taken on a snapshot date: April 5 for private and voluntary sector employers.
2What you must publish
Six figures are required: mean and median hourly pay gap, mean and median bonus gap, proportion of men and women receiving a bonus, and the pay quartile distribution. You must publish on your own website and the government's reporting portal.
3Consequences of non-compliance
Enforcement action by EHRC, unlimited fines. EHRC enforcement action is public and reputationally damaging. The government has consulted on introducing direct fines.
4The gap is not the same as unequal pay
Gender pay gap reporting measures the difference in average pay between all men and all women in your organisation. It is not the same as paying men and women differently for the same work, which remains unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. You can have a pay gap and still be compliant, but a large gap may trigger questions.
Is your pay reporting compliant?
Gender pay gap obligations are just one part of the compliance picture. Get a full review of your employment contracts and policies from £49.
Run your compliance auditMethodology and sources
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025; CIPD analysis of Gender Pay Gap Reporting Service data, 2023-24. Last updated April 2026. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), April 2025 data published October 2025. The nationalMedianGap (12.8%) covers all employees (full-time and part-time). The nationalMedianFullTimeOnly (6.9%) covers full-time employees only and is the figure most commonly cited in headlines. The ONS does not publish a national mean gender pay gap figure. Last updated: 2026-04-10.
Sources: Gender Pay Gap Service (gov.uk) | ONS ASHE