Women catching upover gender pay gap

THE gender pay gap has fallen in Scotland over the last year, figures show.

The official statistics reveal a drop in the difference between men and women’s median hourly earnings for full-time work from 7.7 per cent in 2015 to 6.2 per cent in 2016.

The UK-wide gender pay gap has also reduced, but the decline is smaller, falling from 9.6 per cent in 2015 to 9.4 per cent this year.

The Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings also shows Scotland has the third highest median gross weekly full-time earnings for females at £482.60, after London (£609.50) and the South East (£497.80).

After inflation, gross median weekly earnings for full-time employees in Scotland increased by 1.2 per cent over the year, from £528.60 in 2015 to £535 in 2016.

Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn welcomed the figures as he announced a new scheme to help retrain women who have taken career breaks and get them back into work.

The Scottish Government has given almost £50,000 to Equate Scotland for its Women Returners Project, which will provide 40 women with support to re-enter the labour market.

The training will focus on placements in life sciences, digital skills and engineering.

Mr Hepburn said: “These latest figures show we are making some progress to narrow the gender pay gap in Scotland.”