No one is ever going to say they get paid enough or too much but the pandemic has highlighted the massive pay disparities in the UK. Recent UK pay data is skewed by the pandemic and millions of workers being on furlough, but analysis of ONS figures shows the lowest-paid occupation in April 2021 – waiters – were paid six times less per hour on average at 7.93 than the highest-paid occupation, which was chief executives and senior officials who were typically paid 52.03 an hour.
Restaurant staff will have seen their wages hit by being furloughed, which could affect this average. Other frontline and more hands-on roles are also at the bottom of the pay scale, with cleaners earning 9.61 per hour and carers receiving 11.11 on average. This suggests that while relied upon during the pandemic to keep us and our loved ones safe, cleaners are getting paid just 70p per hour more than the legal minimum for workers aged over 23, while carers are getting 2.20 more per hour.
It comes as MPs have this week been criticised amid claims by some politicians that their starting salary of 81,932 isn’t enough to live on. The ONS data claims that the lowest paid have actually seen the greatest weekly pay increases this year. Those in elementary occupations – defined as simple or routine tasks requiring physical effort and tools –- have seen their wages rise 7.7 per cent annually.
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