Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025
Summary of earnings statistics from the annual survey of hours and earnings (ASHE) published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Part of
Gender Pay Gap
The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) for men and women as a proportion of the median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) for men.
Gender Pay Gap by Employment Type, Scotland and UK, 2025
In 2025, the gender pay gap for full-time employees in Scotland was 3.5% and in the UK was 6.9%.
Figure 3: Scotland has a narrower gender pay gap for full-time and all employees than the UK in 2025
Gender Pay Gap for Median Gross Hourly Earnings (excluding overtime) by Employment Type, Scotland and UK, 2025
Source: Scottish Government Analysis of Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), ONS
Notes:
1. Estimates for 2025 data are provisional.
2. Employees are on adult rates, pay is unaffected by absence
3. Figures represent the difference between men's and women's hourly earnings (excluding overtime) as a percentage of men's hourly earnings (excluding overtime).
4. Full-time is defined as employees working more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).
5. Part-time is defined as employees working less than or equal to 30 paid hours per week (or less than 25 hours for the teaching professions).
Gender Pay Gap for Median Full-Time Hourly Earnings (excluding overtime), Scotland and UK
The gender pay gap for both Scotland and the UK has typically been narrowing over time since the series began.
The gender pay gap in Scotland has been narrower than in the UK since 2003.
In 2025, the gender pay gap for full-time employees in Scotland widened from 2.0% in 2024 to 3.5% in 2025. This is due to men’s hourly earnings (excluding overtime) increasing at a faster rate than women’s hourly earnings (excluding overtime), when considering full-time employees.
The gender pay gap for full-time employees in the UK narrowed from 7.1% in 2024 to 6.9% in 2025.
Figure 4: The gender pay gap has typically been narrowing over time for Scotland and the UK, however, the gender pay gap for Scotland has widened since 2023
Gender Pay Gap for Median Gross Hourly Earnings (excluding overtime) for full-time employees, Scotland and UK, April 1997 to 2025
Source: Scottish Government Analysis of Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), ONS
Notes:
1. Estimates for 2025 data are provisional.
2. Employees are on adult rates, pay is unaffected by absence unless furloughed
3. Figures represent the difference between men's and women's hourly earnings (excluding overtime) as a percentage of men's hourly earnings (excluding overtime).
4. Full-time is defined as employees working more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).
5. Dashed lines represent discontinuities in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021 ASHE estimates. 2021 represents a discontinuity because of a change in occupational coding. Therefore, estimates pre- and post- 2021 are not directly comparable.
6. Due to methodological changes, data for 2023 onwards might not be directly comparable to data for 2022 and earlier years.
7. Data for 2020 and 2021 are subject to more uncertainty and should be treated with caution because of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the data and collection.
Contact
For enquiries about this publication please contact:
Labour Market Statistics,
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
E-mail: LMStats@gov.scot
For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics please contact:
Office of the Chief Statistician
E-mail: statistics.enquiries@gov.scot