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Understanding pay data

What the numbers actually mean, and where they mislead.

Sales and retail assistants, UK, all employees What people earn — United Kingdom Gross annual pay by percentile 10th £6,698 25th £10,423 50th £15,238 75th £22,581 90th £28,987 Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings · whatdoiearn.co.uk
Understanding pay data 02 Sep 2026 • 6 min read

A Retail Job Pays £14,491. Or £25,056. The Difference Is Hours.

ONS publishes two very different salaries for the same job, and both are correct. The gap is almost entirely hours worked, not the rate paid for them — and it distorts the figures for the largest occupations in the country.
The UK gender pay gap, measured four ways Same year, same survey — four legitimate answers Difference in median pay, men compared with women no gap Part-time, hourly -2.1% Full-time, hourly 6.8% All employees, hourly 12.3% All employees, annual 27.2% Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings · whatdoiearn.co.uk
Understanding pay data 27 Jul 2026 • 6 min read

The UK Gender Pay Gap Is 6.9%. And 27.6%. Both Are Right.

The same ONS survey produces four different gender pay gap figures, from 2.9% in women's favour to 27.6% against. Here is what each one measures, and which to use.

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Negotiation Regional pay How we measure