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The UK’s gender pay gap has fallen by more than a quarter over the last decade, while the share of workers in low-paid jobs has hit a record low, official figures show.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed that average earnings have risen this year, but at a slower rate once inflation is taken into account.

The gender pay gap among full-time employees was 6.9% in April 2025, the ONS said.

This was down from 7.1% in 2024 and means the overall gap has reduced by more than a quarter over the past 10 years.

Median hourly earnings for full-time employees was £20.27 for men and £18.87 for women this year.

The gender pay gap measures differences in pay for men and women in employment across the UK. It is not a measure of the difference in pay between men and women in the same jobs.

While the gender pay gap has been decreasing over time, men continued to earn more than women in full-time work in all major occupation groups.

The gap was the largest within skilled trade occupations, at 13.9%, and the lowest within sales and customer service roles, at 1.8%.

The ONS also found that the proportion of low paid-low paid workers fell to 2.5% in April 2025, from 3.4% the previous year – the lowest since the data series began in 1997.

The lowest-earning employees are aged between 16 and 21 years old, and are concentrated in junior roles and hospitality industry, the data showed.

The ONS estimated that there were about 447,000 jobs paid below the national living wage, representing 1.6% of all jobs.

Meanwhile, the statisticians body also revealed that average earnings across all UK workers increased this year.

Median weekly earnings for full-time employees were £766.60 in April 2025, up 5.3% on the previous year.

But it slows to a 1.1% increase in real terms – which takes into account Consumer Prices Index inflation including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH).

Median gross annual earnings for full-time employees were £39,039 in April 2025, up 4.3% from £37,439 the prior year.

Resolution Foundation highlighted that progress had continued to be made in terms of reducing pay inequality across Britain.

However, the think tank pointed out that more recent pay data indicates that pay growth is slowing.

Nye Cominetti, Resolution Foundation’s principal economist, said: “While Britain has struggled to secure strong and sustainable pay growth in recent decades, it has made progress on how pay is distributed across society.

“The gender pay gap has fallen below seven per cent for the first time – it was five times bigger in the early 1970s – while the share of low paid employees has fallen to a record low.

“Restoring productivity-based pay growth, while continuing to make progress on the gender pay gap and low pay would help to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are felt throughout society.”

Paul Nowak, general secretary of trade union TUC, said: “It’s welcome that we are seeing progress on closing the gender pay gap – but that progress is still too slow.

“At the current rate of change, women would have to wait 31 years for pay parity. We must do better.

“The Employment Rights Bill can help to close the gender pay gap by banning exploitative, zero-hours contracts which hit women hardest, and making sure all workers have a right to a guaranteed hours contract.”