Widening pay gap exposed at the University of Manchester

The University of Manchester recently released their annual gender, ethnicity, and disability pay gap report.

The report reveals that the gender pay gap has continued to narrow to a mean average of 10.5% and is now at the lowest it has been since reporting began in 2017. The disability pay gap has also narrowed since last year and is now reported at a mean of 14.9%.

However, the ethnicity pay gap has increased from a mean of 13.3% in 2021, to 15.6% this year.

This is accompanied by a general increase in the number of BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) staff that the university has recruited, with 694 new BAME staff joining the university, now comprising 23.5% of the university’s overall workforce.

Compared to other Russell Group universities, the University of Manchester continues to have one of the narrowest mean gender pay gaps. Ranking fourth out of the 22 Russell Group Universities, falling behind only the University of Southampton, University College London, and King’s College London.

The report insists that the reason for the pay gap is because of a general underrepresentation of women, BAME, and disabled staff in the higher-paid jobs and functions; and this is shown throughout the report, as white men occupy most of the top pay quartile.

The university highlights the fact that the university gives equal pay for work of equal value, regardless of the background of the employee.

In the last few years, the proportion of women and BAME staff occupying roles in the highest-paid quartiles trended upwards, which the university finds confidence in.

The university has pledged to ensure that the staff profile is “representative of national and local populations”, and in addition, continues to strive to eliminate pay gaps.

To improve, the University aims include re-establishing the Gender Pay Gap Task Group. The University recognises that ‘our pace of change in eradicating the pay gaps is not fast enough’.