Scottish Government Committed to Fairness
The gender pay gap between men and women is lower in Scotland than the rest of the UK, as is the percentage of people earning below the Real Living Wage.
According to figures from the ONS, the gender pay gap for all employees in 2022 was 12.2% – lower than the rest of the UK at 14.9%. The gap for full-time employees was also lower in Scotland, at 3.7% compared to 8.3% in the UK.
Scotland has therefore maintained a 20-year record in this record, with statistics showing that the gender pay gap has been lower in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK since 2003.
At the same time, figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) reveal that just 9% of people in work in Scotland are earning below £9.90 per hour. On average, 12.2% of workers across the UK are earning below the Living Wage – with 11.8% in Wales, 12.5% in England and 14.6% in Northern Ireland.
The SNP Scottish Government has introduced a range of measures to ensure people earn at least the Real Living Wage – a fundamental part of its National Economic Transformation Strategy.
– Graeme
It is very encouraging to see Scotland outperforming the UK as a whole on these two key metrics of fairness in the Scottish economy.
Scotland is leading the way in ensuring that workers receive fair pay, as people face one of the most difficult winters in living memory with the cost-of-living crisis.
Women should not be economically less well-off throughout their working lives – and the Scottish Government is addressing, through its early years provision in particular, structural issues like the burden of caring still falling to women.
There is more work to be done on both of these fronts, and I would urge all employers to ensure fair pay and conditions, but it is with independence that Scotland will truly be able to build a fairer, more equal Scotland.
