‘Noteworthy' | UK's gender pay gap underestimated for over two decades, research finds

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been miscalculating the UK’s gender pay gap for more than two decades, new research has suggested.

In a paper published in the British Journal of Industrial Relations on Monday, researchers found that the gap could have been underestimated by as much as 1%.

The “small but noteworthy” margin of error has significant consequences, the research paper said, as the pay gap analyses is used to calculate key pay decisions across the UK, from compensation recommendations for doctors and nurses to National Minimum Wage.

UK’s Gender Pay Gap – bigger than we thought?

The ONS’ annual survey of hours and earnings (Ashe) is used to calculate the UK’s gender pay gap.