The gender pay gap in the UKโs high tech sector (25%) is significantly higher than the national average (18%), according to the latest data from Mercer.
The consultancy also found that small companies have the largest pay gap, with a 30% difference in (median) pay between all male and female employees, and a 26% gap when considering mean base salaries. This difference reduces as company sizes grow. Where the data allowed comparison of pay between women and men in equal job roles, the pay gap was much smaller, typically 8%. This is comparable to the UK norm of 9% for this type of analysis.
โThe considerable gender pay gap in the tech sector comes as no surprise to most, though this relatively crude measure hides a bigger issue than just pay,โ said Chris Charman, reward expert at Mercer. โA simple averaged figure across a whole organisation is easily skewed by disproportionate numbers of senior male high earners and men in specialist roles. In fact a large gap is more likely to indicate a lack of women in professional and senior positions, rather than simply an uneven pay structure. To narrow the gap it is not enough for companies to be equal pay compliant, they also need to develop and support a healthy pipeline of women being promoted up through the organisation.
โMany high-tech companies are working hard to ensure women are given equal career opportunities, however the pay gap is perpetuated by the lack of female candidates available for professional industry roles. This is a reflection of an imbalance in the wider society, where only 16% of technology and science students are female and 14.4% of the UK STEM workforce is female.โ
Mercerโs analysis showed that the highest pay gap is found among those with professional experience, with female professionals paid 19% less than male counterparts. Support level employees are paid relatively equal (-2%). There is little variation in the average pay gap across business functions within the high tech sector. The exception is found across sales and marketing, where the gender pay gap stands at 32%.
When looking at performance the data showed that, when comparing the percentage of employees who received the highest rating, men and women are recognised at very similar rates at each career level.
At the support level, 5% of women and 6% of men are rated as top performers, whereas this rises to 19% and 20% respectively at the management level. In contrast, women are paid 20% less in terms of discretionary pay, i.e. bonuses, as compared to men at a company level. However, this represents a typical payment of 3.7% of base pay for men, compared to 3.0% for women.
โWith closer analysis itโs clear that the gender pay gap is about more than just pay,โ said Mr Charman. โUnfortunately the proposed Government regulations on gender pay gap reporting are too blunt a tool of measurement and will not solve the issue. To genuinely address the gender pay gap in a generation, the Government must take more steps to promote shared parental leave, support organisations in creating balanced talent pipelines, and support educational initiatives that challenge gender stereotypes in work to enable young boys and girls to see a less gendered view of their roles in society in the future.โ
Mercer has undertaken analysis of the gender pay gap in the UK high-tech sector, covering 66,000 employees across 153 companies. The data comes from Mercer Comptryx, a global database covering 106 countries and the UKโs premier source of pay and labour force data for the high-tech and digital economy.
