Employee earnings in Northern Ireland

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Key Points

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees (“weekly earnings”) in April 2022 was £592, an increase of 2.9% from £575 in 2021. This is the second consecutive annual increase in weekly earnings, following the largest annual increase on record (8.7% in the year to April 2021).
In the UK, weekly earnings were £640 in April 2022, an increase of 5.0% from 2021 (£610).
Real weekly earnings in NI decreased by 4.5% over the year to April 2022, which is the largest annual decrease in real earnings on record. For the UK as a whole, real weekly earnings decreased by 2.6% over the year.
Of the 12 UK regions, NI experienced the joint lowest increase in weekly earnings over the year, and is now the third lowest, with London (£805) highest and the North East (£575) lowest.
Approximately 13% of all jobs in NI were ‘low-paid’, which was a record low. This is the lowest proportion in NI in the last 20 years but is the third highest proportion of the 12 UK regions.
The proportion of jobs paid below the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage fell to 1.1% in 2022. This is well below the 2020 and 2021 rates (11% and 5.8%), where 90% of those below these rates were on furlough, and has returned to the pre-COVID 2019 rate (1.1%).
Private sector weekly earnings increased by 7.3% over the year, and public sector weekly earnings increased by 3.1%. Weekly earnings in the public sector (£708) were 30% higher than in the private sector (£544).
The gender pay gap for all employees in NI was 8.4% in favour of males in 2022. This gap has increased (from 4.7%) over the last year, after two years of decreasing. In comparison, females in the UK have earned around 15% less than males on average between 2020 and 2022.
NI remains the only region in the UK where full-time females earn more per hour on average than full-time males. In NI, full-time females earned 4.6% more than full-time males, whilst, in the UK as a whole, full-time females earned 8.3% less per hour than full-time males.
Median annual earnings increased by 3.2% for all full-time employees in NI over the year to £30,000, but remained lower than the UK median of £33,000. The highest 10% of earners earned approximately £54,500 and above.

Commentary

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI increased by 2.9% over the year. NI earnings in 2022 were 11% higher than the pre-pandemic position (2019), which was the highest increase of all UK regions.

Real weekly earnings in NI recorded the largest annual decrease on record (4.5%) to 2022, which follows the largest increase on record to 2021 (7.0%). Real earnings are 0.1% higher than the pre-COVID position in 2019 and 4.2% higher than they were a decade ago. When considering public and private sector earnings over the last decade, the public sector showed no growth in real earnings, which is in contrast to growth of 11% in the private sector.

The proportion of low-paid jobs in NI fell over the year to a record low (13%), where the proportion has generally been falling since the introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016. However, despite these improvements, NI had the third highest proportion of all regions in the UK in 2022.

1. Overview of earnings

The headline measure of earnings from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees. This is referred to throughout this section as “weekly earnings”. The mean is not used to summarise earnings as it is susceptible to small numbers of very high earners. A visual explanation of this is available on the NISRA website. Throughout the publication the terms ‘median’ and ‘on average’ are used interchangeably.

1.1 Median weekly earnings in NI and the UK

Gross weekly pay includes basic pay, overtime pay, commissions, shift premium pay, bonus or incentive pay and allowances, and is before deductions for PAYE, National Insurance, pension schemes, student loan repayments and voluntary deductions.

Median measures the amount earned by the average individual, i.e. the level of earnings at which half the population are above and half the population are below.

Full-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over that is directly paid from a business’s payroll for carrying out more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).

Key findings

Weekly earnings in NI increased by £16.70 (2.9%) over the year to £592, which is the second consecutive annual increase
UK weekly earnings increased by £30.20 (5.0%) to £640

Figure 1: Earnings continues to grow at a similar rate recorded prior to COVID

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI and the UK, April 2002 to April 2022

Note: there were a number of methodological changes during the series in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021.See the Further Information section for full details. Non zero axis.

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Over the last 20 years in NI, the median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees has increased by an average of around £12 each year. In 2022 earnings increased by £17. Although this is lower than the £46 increase recorded in 2021, it is similar to changes recorded in the two years prior to COVID (2018 and 2019).

Weekly earnings increased in all 12 UK regions over the year. The increase of 2.9% in NI was the joint lowest increase of all the regions (following the largest increase between 2020 and 2021) and weekly earnings in NI are now the third lowest of all the UK regions. NI median weekly earnings were £48 or 7.6% below the UK median in 2022.

1.2 Public/private sector comparison

Public sector: The NI public sector can be broken down into five areas: NI central government; Bodies under aegis of NI central government; UK central government employees based in Northern Ireland; Local government; Public corporations.

Private sector: The private sector encompasses all for-profit businesses (that are not owned or operated by the government). This does not include any non-profit body or mutual association.

Key findings

NI public sector earnings were almost a third (30%) higher than private sector earnings in 2022, which is the smallest gap in the last 20 years
Larger increases in private sector weekly earnings over the last two years than in the public sector have lessened the difference between the two sectors
Smallest percentage difference between UK and NI weekly earnings in private sector in the last 20 years (14%)
Public sector earnings in NI are higher than in the UK

Figure 2: Private sector pay grows faster than public sector pay

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in the public and private sectors in NI and the UK, April 2002 to April 2022

Note: there were a number of methodological changes during the series in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021.See the Further Information section for full details. Non zero axis.

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Over the past 20 years, NI and UK median public sector earnings have been much more closely aligned than NI and UK private sector earnings, and the public sector median for both NI and UK has been consistently higher than the private sector medians.

In April 2022, weekly earnings of public sector employees (£708) in NI were 30% higher than those of private sector employees (£544), which is the smallest percentage gap in 20 years. In comparison, weekly earnings in the UK were 12% higher in the public sector (£695) than in the private sector (£620). Some of the difference between earnings in the public and private sectors is due to differences in the composition of the respective workforces. The NI ASHE public and private sector analysis document provides detail on the composition of the respective workforces.

NI public sector median (£708) was above the UK equivalent (£695) by £13 in 2022. This is smaller than the difference recorded in 2021 (£23) and follows two years of lower earnings than the UK in 2019 and 2020. Over the last two decades, the highest median earnings have changed intermittently between the NI and UK public sectors (with more variability in the NI data). Although UK public sector earnings increased by more (4.6%) than NI public sector earnings (3.1%) this year, the weekly value still remains higher in NI due to the larger increase in NI public sector earnings recorded last year (6.6% compared to 2.5% in the UK).

In contrast, the NI private sector full-time median was £76 (12%) below the UK equivalent. This has been a consistent trend over time, however, NI reported larger rates of change than the UK over the last two years in the private sector, leading to the smallest percentage difference on record between the NI and UK private sectors.

1.3 Total paid hours

Total weekly paid hours worked is made up of paid basic hours and paid overtime hours. It is calculated using employees on adult rates whose pay was unaffected by absence. It includes people on paid leave and furloughed staff who were paid for hours they didn’t work, but excludes people on statutory sick and maternity pay.

Key findings

Median weekly paid hours remained at 37 hours for all employees in NI and the UK
Full-time weekly paid hours decreased by 0.3 hours over the year to a joint low of 37.5 hours

Figure 3: No notable change in total paid hours worked over the year

Distribution of total weekly paid hours for all employees in NI, April 2022

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In 2022, full-time employees in NI worked an average of 37.5 hours per week, a decrease of 0.3 hours (0.8%) over the year. This was the same as the number of paid hours worked by full-time employees in the UK. The median weekly paid hours worked by full-time employees has remained constant in the UK since 2004 (37.5 hours). It has been more varied in NI, ranging from a joint-low of 37.5 hours in 2003 and 2022 to a high of 38.9 hours in 2008.

Median paid hours in NI and the UK in 2022 were the same for full-time employees (37.5 hours) and all employees (37.0 hours). However, part-time employees in NI worked 0.3 hours less, on average, than those in the UK (19.0 hours in NI compared with 19.3 hours in the UK).

Over a third (36%) of NI employees worked between 37 and 40 hours per week, equivalent to a five-day ‘9 to 5’ working pattern. Two clear peaks are evident at 37 hours and 40 hours for full-time employees while the working patterns of part-time employees is more varied. The lower, but still noticeable peaks at 32 hours includes school teachers and at 42 hours includes NI civil servants.

Compared with last year, the proportion working under 30 hours per week increased from 26% to 29%, whilst the proportion working over 42 hours also increased slightly from 9.1% to 10.2%.

1.4 Occupation

Occupation: Results are collated using the 2020 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC20).

Key findings

‘Corporate managers and directors’ received the highest earnings in 2022 and have recorded an above average increase since 2019 (15% compared to the average of 11%)
Largest increase since 2019 was in ‘Customer service occupations’ earnings (35%)
The only occupation to decrease since before COVID was ‘Protective service occupations’ (down by 3.4%)

Figure 4: All but one occupation group saw an increase in full-time weekly earnings between 2019 and 2022

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees and change in earnings in NI by occupation, April 2019 to April 2022

Note: there were a methodological change in 2021.See the Further Information section for full details.

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This chart shows that the majority of occupation groups have experienced a similar increase in earnings over the last three years, with only one group reporting a decline over the period. Employees in ‘Protective service occupations’ now earn over £30 less per week than they did in 2019 (£881 compared to £911). The largest increase was recorded in ‘Customer service occupations’, where earnings have risen by more than a third (from £343 to £462).

The highest earning occupation group ‘Corporate managers and directors’ experienced an increase above the overall NI average increase (15% compared with 11%) over the last three years, taking their weekly earnings to £1,055. The two lowest earning groups, ‘Sales occupations’ and ‘Elementary administration and service occupations’, also increased at a higher rate than the NI average.

1.5 Industry

Industry: Results are collated using the 2007 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC07).

Key findings

Increases in weekly earnings across all industries since 2019 (pre-COVID)
Generally there were greater increases in the lower paid industries over the last three years
The five lowest paid industries all had a greater percentage increase over three years than NI as a whole

Figure 5: All industries show an increase in weekly earnings over the last three years

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees and change in earnings in NI by industry, April 2019 to April 2022

Note: there were a methodological change in 2021.See the Further Information section for full details.

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Figure 5 shows that weekly earnings across all industries have increased since before COVID (2019). The chart clearly shows that the five industries with the lowest median earnings have increased at a higher rate than the NI average (top left quadrant). All the other industries had a lower than average increase with the exception of ‘Information and communication’ (18%) and ‘Financial and insurance activities’ (14%).

The largest increase was reported in ‘Administrative and support service activities’ where earnings increased by almost 25% over the three year period. In contrast, the smallest increase was in ‘Transportation and storage’ which saw a 4.2% increase since 2019. The ‘Education’ sector, which has the highest weekly earnings (£760) of all the sectors, had the second smallest increase at 6%.

2. Real earnings

2.1 Real and nominal earnings comparison

Real earnings are earnings with the effects of inflation removed. This provides a comparison of the amount of goods and services that can be bought over time (also known as purchasing power). Real earnings are calculated by adjusting historic earnings data using the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH).

Key findings

Real earnings show largest annual decrease (4.5%) on record, following the largest increase (7.0%) on record in 2021
Since 2019 (pre-COVID), real earnings in NI have increased by 50 pence (0.1%)

Figure 6: Approximately £28 decrease in real earnings over the year

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in NI in nominal and real (2022) terms, April 2012 to April 2022

Note: there was a methodological changes during the series in 2021.See the Further Information section for full details. Non-zero axis.

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Figure 6 shows that, while nominal weekly earnings have generally increased each year since 2012 (with the exception of 2014 and 2020), real earnings have not. Nominal weekly earnings in 2022 were £134 more than in 2012, while real earnings have increased by £24 during the same period.

Over the year to 2022, real weekly earnings decreased by 4.5%, however, this follows a particularly large increase of 7.0% recorded the previous year. This compares with an annual decrease of 2.6% in the UK, following a increase of 2.4% over the year to 2021. When looking at the change over a three year period (pre-COVID), NI real earnings increased marginally by 0.1% (50p) compared with a decrease of 1.1% in the UK.

2.2 Real earnings comparison between public and private sectors

Key findings

Real earnings fell by 4.4% over the year to 2022 in the public sector, compared to a smaller fall in the private sector (0.5%)
No growth in public sector real earnings over the last decade
Real earnings in the private sector have grown by 11% since 2012

Figure 7: Public sector real pay unchanged when compared to 2012

Real median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in the public and private sectors in NI, April 2012 and April 2022

Note: there was a methodological changes during the series in 2021.See the Further Information section for full details. Non-zero axis.

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Figure 7 shows that, over the last decade, real earnings in the public sector have been consistently higher and more changeable than those in the private sector and an upward trend in pay in the private sector is more visible than in the public sector. Earnings recorded for the public sector in 2022 were 20p higher than real earnings in 2012, compared with 2022 earnings in the private sector which were £56 higher than 10 years earlier.

The drop in real earnings in the private sector during 2020 was notable, compared with a small increase in public sector real earnings. While both recorded a substantial rise in 2021, real earnings in the public sector have fallen by more than £30 (4.4%) over the year compared to the private sector, which saw a decrease of £2.50 (0.5%).

2.3 Real earnings comparison across industries

Industry: Results are collated using the 2007 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC07).

Key findings

Over the year to 2022, real earnings have decreased in 12 out of 17 industries
Largest annual increase was in the ‘Accommodation & food service’ industry (16%)
Largest annual decrease was in the ‘Professional, scientific and technical activities’ industry (8.9%)

Figure 8: Real decreases recorded in 12 out of 17 industries

Real median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees by industry in NI, April 2021 and April 2022

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Figure 8 shows that, real earnings decreased over the year in 12 of the 17 industry groups and these decreases were mostly recorded at the higher earning end of the scale. Out of the 11 industries whose weekly earnings were greater than £500, only one industry saw an increase in real earnings over the year. ‘Financial & insurance activities’ increased by 13.1% over the year to £619.

There were notable decreases in 2 of the top 3 earning industries (‘Information & communication’ and ‘Public administration & defence’), both dropping by around 7% over the year. At the other end of the spectrum, the 2 lowest earning industries (‘Accommodation & food service’ and ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’) experienced increases over the year (16% and 9.5% respectively).

Two of the most affected industries during COVID were ‘Accommodation and food service’ and ‘Construction’. The ‘Accommodation and food service’ industry has shown the largest growth (16%) in real earnings over the year, whereas ‘Construction’ saw a decrease of 1.1%. Since pre-COVID the ‘Construction’ industry has increased by 7.4% in nominal terms, but decreased by 2.9% in real terms.

2.4 Real earnings by age groups

Key findings

The 60+ age group saw a substantial drop in real earnings over the last decade
Real earnings increased the most for employees under 30 year old

Figure 9: Employees aged 50 and over had a decrease in real earnings over the last ten years

Real median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees by age in NI, April 2012 and April 2022

Note: there was a methodological changes during the series in 2021.See the Further Information section for full details. Non-zero axis.

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A ten year comparison of real earnings by age shows that employees under the age of 30 are substantially better off now than employees who were under 30 in 2012. In contrast, those in the 50 and over age groups in 2022 received lower real earnings on average than those who were in the 50 and over age groups ten years ago.

The greatest increases were experienced by those in the youngest age groups, who earn less in general, but whose earnings were likely boosted by the increasing National Living Wage rates. The rates of change decreased as the age groups increased.

A scrollytelling article discussing this breakdown in more detail is available on the NISRA website

3. Low and high pay analysis

At £13.50, median hourly pay for all employees (full-time and part-time combined) in Northern Ireland is the fourth lowest of all the UK regions and is currently £1.27 below the UK median (£14.77). This has been the broad trend since 2000, with median hourly pay in NI falling consistently below the majority of the other UK regions each year.

3.1 Distribution of hourly earnings

The National Living Wage (NLW) was introduced by the Government on 1 April 2016. It is currently set at £9.50 per hour for those aged 23 and over.

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) applies for those under the age of 23. It was introduced on 1 April 1999 and currently ranges between £4.81 and £9.18 per hour. Further details and a full breakdown of rates can be found in section 5.

Key findings

The peak around the NLW has not returned to pre-COVID heights and is 3pps below 2019
The proportion of jobs below the NLW has decreased after two consecutive annual increases caused by furlough

Figure 10: The peak of the earnings distribution moves in line with the increases in the National Living Wage

Gross hourly earnings distribution for all employees, April 2002 - April 2022

Note: Density shows the proportion of jobs within +/-20p of shown pay rates

Figure 10 shows the earnings distribution in Northern Ireland each year from 2002 to 2022. The shape of each chart is typical of a skewed earnings distribution with more jobs at the lower earnings end, tailing off towards higher earnings.

When tracking the change between 2002 to 2022, the peak of the chart, which shows the wage rate with the largest proportion of jobs, can be seen moving to the right each year in line with increases in the National Minimum/Living Wage (NLW).

Not only has the peak shifted, but the shape of the distribution has also changed over time. In 2002, 5% of jobs were within 20p of the minimum wage, compared with 11% in 2018. Since 2008, the peak has generally become more pronounced each year as earnings compressed around the National Minimum/Living Wage. The largest increase in compression coincided with the largest increase in minimum wage (70p) which occurred in 2016 when the National Living Wage was introduced (increasing for those aged 25+ from a National Minimum Wage of £6.50 in April 2015 to National Living Wage of £7.20 in April 2016). The proportion of jobs within 20p of the minimum wage increased from 9% in 2015 to 11% in 2016.

There has been a reversal in the trend of increased compression since 2020, with the proportion within 20p of the NLW reducing from 10% in 2019 to 7% in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, a cluster (3%) at 80% of the NLW is evident, and to a lesser extent a cluster (1.4%) is similarly visible in 2021. This reflects those paid at the minimum wage and furloughed at 80% of their pay during this period. Whilst this cluster is no longer visible in 2022, due to the removal of furlough in 2021, the peak around the NLW wage remained in line with the lower levels seen since 2020 (7%) and is 3 percentage points (pps) below 2019.

Using a different derived hourly rate, which excludes overtime and shift premium payments and in-line with ONS methodology, the proportion of jobs paid below the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage fell to 1.1% in 2022. This is well below the 2020 rate (11%) and the 2021 rate (5.8%), where 90% of those earnings less than the NLW/NMW were on furlough, and is back to the rate recorded in 2019 (1.1%).

3.2 Low and High-paid jobs

The following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) definitions of low pay and high pay are used:

Low pay is defined as the value that is two-thirds of the UK median hourly earnings (e.g. £14.77 x 2/3 = £9.85 in 2022).
High pay is defined as the value that is 1.5 times the UK median hourly earnings (e.g. £14.77 x 1.5 = £22.16 in 2022).

Key findings

The proportion of low-paid jobs has almost halved since introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016
Low-paid jobs dropped by almost 6pps over the year to a record low of 13% in 2022
Higher proportion of high-paid jobs than low-paid jobs for the first time on record

Figure 11: Proportion of low-paid jobs is lowest on record

Proportion of low-paid and high-paid employee jobs in NI, April 2002 to April 2022

Note: there were a number of methodological changes during the series in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021.See the Further Information section for full details.

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Figure 11 shows that, over the last 20 years the proportion of low-paid jobs has more than halved from 28% in 2002 to its lowest proportion of 13% in 2022. The majority of this drop has occurred since the introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016, where gradual decreases were recorded each year, with the exception of 2020 (+1.1pps). The most recent annual change (5.8pps) is the largest decrease in 20 years.

At the other end of the spectrum, the proportion of high-paid jobs has stayed more consistent, where the 2022 figure is only 0.1pps lower than that recorded in 2002.

As a result of the large decrease in low-paid jobs, there are now more high-paid than low-paid jobs for the first time on record. Furthermore, the proportion of middle-paid jobs has now increased to 66%, the highest on record and almost 15pps above the proportion recorded in 2002.

When considering the hourly earnings of all employees, the lowest earning 10% of workers (those at the 10th percentile) in the private sector (£9.50) earned the current National Living Wage rate. In contrast, those at the 10th percentile of the public sector (£10.42) earned more per hour than those at the 30th percentile of the private sector (£10.40).

3.3 Low and High-paid jobs by occupation group

Occupation: Results are collated using the 2020 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC20).

Key findings

‘Sales and customer service occupations’ has the highest percentage of low-paid jobs (46%)
More than half of all low-paid jobs were in ‘Elementary occupations’ and ‘Sales and customer service occupations’
‘Professional occupations’ and ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’ make up 85% of all high-paid jobs

Figure 12: Almost half of ‘Sales & customer services’ jobs are low paid, whilst more than half of ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’ and ‘Professional’ occupation jobs are high-paid

Proportion of low-paid and high-paid employee jobs in NI by occupation, April 2022

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The highest percentage of low-paid employee jobs are in ‘Sales and customer service occupations’ (46%), and this sector only consists of 0.9% high-paid jobs. Similarly, within ‘Elementary occupations’, 40% of jobs are low-paid, whilst only 0.2% are high-paid jobs. These two occupational groups made up 52% of all low-paid jobs in NI in 2022.

In contrast, over half (53%) of both ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’ and ‘Professional occupations’ jobs are high-paid, with around 2% low-paid within each sector. These two sectors combined account for 85% of all high-paid jobs in NI. Whilst 15% of ‘Associate professional and technical occupation’ jobs are high-paid, the remaining six occupational groups have minimal numbers of high-paid jobs.

3.4 Low and High-paid jobs by working pattern

Full-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over that is directly paid from a business’s payroll for carrying out more than 30 paid hours per week (or 25 or more for the teaching professions).

Part-time employee is defined as anyone aged 16 years or over working 30 or less paid hours a week (or less than 25 for the teaching professions).

Key findings

Over a quarter (28%) of part-time workers have low-paid jobs, compared to 8% of full-time workers
Overall in NI, there are more high-paid jobs than low-paid jobs (20% compared to 14%)

Figure 13: A greater proportion of part-time workers are low-paid compared to full-time workers

Proportion of low-paid and high-paid employee jobs in NI by working pattern, April 2022

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As previously shown in figure 11, there are now more high-paid than low-paid jobs across all employees in NI. Figure 13 breaks this down by working pattern and it shows that there is a clear indication of imbalance between those working full-time and those working part-time. There is a greater proportion of low-paid part-time jobs (28%), compared with low-paid full-time jobs (8%). By contrast, there is a lower proportion of high-paid part-time jobs (13%) compared with high-paid full-time jobs (23%).

A closer examination of the pay difference between part-time and full-time jobs shows that, not only are part-time jobs more likely in lower-paid occupation groups but, even within 8 of the 9 occupation groups, part-time workers’ hourly pay rates are, on average, lower than full-time hourly pay rates.

3.5 Low and High-paid jobs by UK Government Region

Key findings

In 2022, NI had the third highest proportion of low-paid jobs in the UK
The NI ratio of low-paid to high-paid jobs is below the UK ratio
There were 50% more high-paid than low-paid jobs in NI in 2022

Figure 14: NI had the joint fourth lowest ratio of high-paid to low-paid employee jobs across the UK regions

Ratio of high-paid to low-paid employee jobs by UK Government region, April 2022

Note: a ratio higher than 1 means there are more high-paid jobs and a ratio less than 1 means there are more low-paid jobs

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Although the proportion of low-paid jobs has decreased over the year in NI (to 13%), it still has the third highest proportion of low-paid jobs of all the UK regions, just below East Midlands and Yorkshire and The Humber (14%). London (5.6%) has the lowest proportion of low-paid jobs.

Analysis of ratios of high-paid to low-paid employee jobs in the different regions of the UK (Figure 14) shows that NI ranked in the bottom 5 out of the 12 regions. Along with Wales, NI had a ratio of approximately 1.5, meaning that the proportion of high-paid jobs was about 50% higher than the proportion of low-paid jobs in these areas. In all regions of the UK, high-paid jobs exceeded low-paid jobs. London had the highest ratio, with over seven times more high-paid than low-paid jobs, followed by the South East (2.9) and Scotland (2.7). These three regions were all above the UK average of 2.3.

4. Gender pay gap

Various methods can be used to measure the earnings of females relative to males. This section of the report leads with the Gender Pay Gap for all employees regardless of working pattern before disaggregating by sector, age of employee, size of business, occupation and working pattern.

The majority of the analysis is based on the median hourly earnings excluding overtime; including overtime can distort the picture as males work relatively more overtime than females, and using hourly earnings better accounts for the fact that males work, on average, more hours per week than females (see figure 21).

It should be noted that although median hourly pay excluding overtime provides a useful comparison of male and female earnings, it is a measure across all jobs and not a measure of the difference in pay between men and women doing the same job.

Gross hourly earnings (excluding overtime includes basic pay, commissions, shift premium pay, bonus or incentive pay and allowances, and is before deductions for PAYE, National Insurance, pension schemes, student loan repayments and voluntary deductions.

Gender pay gap calculated as the difference between the median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of males and females, as a proportion of median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of males earnings.

4.1 Gender Pay Gap in NI and the UK

Key findings

In 2022, considering all employees regardless of working pattern, females earned 8.4% less than males in NI i.e. for every £1 earned by men, women earned 92p
In the UK, females earned 15% less than males when all employees are considered (consistent trend since 2020)
The gender pay gap in NI is due to the higher proportion of female part-time employees than male part-time employees and the higher proportion of part-time jobs that are low paid

Figure 15: Gender pay gap for all employees has decreased over the last twenty years

Gender pay gap for all employees in NI and the UK, April 2002 to April 2022

Note: there were a number of methodological changes during the series in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021.See the Further Information section for full details. Non zero axis.

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Figure 15 shows that the gender pay gaps for all employees (regardless of working pattern) in both NI and the UK have consistently been in favour of males, however, the difference in male and female earnings in both regions has narrowed over the last two decades.

The results from the 2022 ASHE indicate that the gender pay gap for all employees in NI, regardless of working pattern, is in favour of males, who earn £1.17 more per hour on average than females (£13.99 compared to £12.82 for females). This is equivalent to an 8.4% gender pay gap in favour of males; greater than the 4.7% gender pay gap recorded in 2021 and the 5.9% recorded in 2020 but below the 2019 (pre-pandemic) rate (10%).

In the UK, males (£15.93) also earned more on average than females (£13.55) in 2022. This equates to a UK gender pay gap of 15% in favour of males, nearly double the gap recorded in NI. In contrast to NI, which has shown variation in the gender pay gap over the last three years, the gap for the UK has remained consistent (around 15%).

It is the relatively lower pay of the private sector in NI and the notably smaller gender pay gap in the NI public sector (compared to those in NI and UK private sector, and UK public sector) that drives the difference between the NI and UK gender pay gap.

4.2 Gender Pay Gap in the public and private sectors

Key findings

In 2022, considering all employees regardless of working pattern, females earned 78p less than males in the public sector
In the private sector females earned £2.05 less than males when all employees are considered
The gender pay gap in the private sector has been around £2.00 for the past 20 years, whilst the gap has closed from over £3 to less than £1 in the public sector

Figure 16: Males have higher earnings in both the public and private sectors

Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for all employees in NI by sector and gender, April 2002 to April 2022

Note: there were a number of methodological changes during the series in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021.See the Further Information section for full details.

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Overall, public sector employees earned more on average than private sector employees. Within this, males earned more in both the public and private sectors on average than females. This has been the broad trend since 2002; however, there has been a notable closing of the gap between males and females in the public sector, whilst male earnings have remained consistently higher than female earnings in the private sector.

In 2002, male earnings in the public sector were £3.22 per hour more than female earnings. This gap has now reduced to 78p. In comparison, in the private sector, where average earnings are lower than in the public sector, males have consistently earned around £2 per hour more than females since 2002.

4.3 Gender Pay Gap by age

Key findings

The gender pay gap for those aged 40 and over is more pronounced
50-59 year olds had the largest gender pay gap in favour of males (a difference of £2.95)
30-39 is the only age group where females earned slightly more than males (12p)

Figure 17: Largest gender pay gap in the 40+ age groups

Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for all employees in NI by age and gender, April 2022

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Male and female employees have similar median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) for all age groups under 40. Female earnings peaked in the 30-39 age group, then tapered off again. This was the only group to see a gender pay gap in favour of women (£14.96 compared with £14.84 for males). Male earnings, however, continued to grow into the 40-49 age group, where they peaked at £16.31. Although their earnings then started to taper off also, they did so at a slower rate and the 50-59 age group therefore experienced the largest gender pay gap. Females aged 50-59 earned £13.18 per hour, which was almost £3 per hour less than males in the same age group (£16.13), creating a gender pay gap of 18% in the 50-59 age group.

4.4 Gender Pay Gap by size of business

Key findings

Males consistently earn more than females across all business size groups
The smallest gender pay gap recorded in businesses with 250 or more employees (4.7% in favour or males)
The pay gap was largest in businesses with between 10 and 49 employees (16% in favour of males)

Figure 18: Males earn more than females in all business size groups

Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for all employees in NI by size of business and gender, April 2022

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On average, males consistently earned more than females across all business size groups. The smallest gender pay gap in 2022 was recorded for those employed in businesses with 250 or more employees, where both male and female earnings were highest. Females (£14.92 per hour) earned 73p less per hour than males (£15.65 per hour) on average, which is a 4.7% gender pay gap. This is reflective of the relatively high number of public sector organisations with more than 250 employees. In contrast, the pay gap was largest in businesses with between 10 and 49 employees, where females earned 16% less than males on average, meaning for every £1 earned by a man, a woman earned 84p.

4.5 Gender Pay Gap by occupation group

Occupation: Results are collated using the 2020 Standard Occupation Classification (SOC20).

Key findings

Males earned more than females in eight of the nine occupational groups
Females earned more than males in ‘Professional occupations’ but the difference was minimal (1p)
‘Skilled trades occupations’ had the largest gender pay gap of 12% in favour of males

Figure 19: Females earned less on average than males in eight of the nine occupation groups

Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime for all employees in NI by occupation and gender, April 2022

Note: non-zero axis.

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The gender pay gap is in favour of males when considering all employees. Disaggregating the data into occupation groups shows that this holds in eight out of nine occupation groups. The occupation group in which females earned more on average was ‘Professional occupations’ and there was only a small difference of 1p per hour. The majority of those employed in ‘Professional occupations’ are females (56%).

The largest difference between male and female average pay was in the ‘Skilled trades occupations’ group, where, on average, for every pound earned by males, females earned 88p (£13.13 compared to £11.50 per hour). Almost 90% of employees within this occupation group were male.

The second largest difference between male and female average pay was in the ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’ group, where, on average, for every pound earned by males, females earned 90p (£24.40 compared to £21.84 per hour). Around two thirds of employees within this occupation group were male.

4.6 Gender Pay Gap by working pattern

Key findings

Full-time and part-time earnings are higher for females
When full-time and part-time are combined males earned more
There is a much larger proportion of males working full-time (85%) than females (60%)

Figure 20: Full-time and part-time females earn more than full-time and part-time males

Median gross hourly earnings excluding overtime by working pattern and gender in NI, April 2022

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Figure 20 presents hourly earnings for males and females disaggregated by working pattern. It shows that part-time earnings for females (£10.68) were slightly higher than part-time earnings for males (£10.66), and full-time earnings for females (£15.17) were higher than full-time earnings for males (£14.50). This is in contrast to earnings for all employees (full and part-time combined), where hourly earnings for males (£13.99), were £1.17 higher than for females (£12.82). NI remains the only region in the UK where full-time females earn more per hour on average than full-time males.

These higher earnings for ‘all’ males is primarily due to a larger proportion of males (85% compared with 60% of females) in full-time work, which has higher hourly rates of pay on average than part-time employment and proportionately fewer low-paid jobs. (The higher earnings for ‘all’ males, despite the reverse for each working pattern is an example of Simpson’s paradox and is illustrated in the Gender Pay Gap explanation on the NISRA website.)

The chart also highlights the difference in full-time and part-time earnings, with part-time workers earning less per hour than full-time workers.

4.7 Hours worked by working pattern and gender

Total paid hours worked is made up of paid basic hours and paid overtime hours. It is calculated using employees on adult rates whose pay was unaffected by absence.

Key findings

Males in full-time employment worked more hours than females
Females in part-time employment worked more hours than males
Males worked more hours than females overall

Figure 21: Males work longer working hours overall, but females work longer part-time hours

Median weekly paid hours worked by working pattern and gender in NI, April 2022

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The gender pay gap reverses for full-time employees when calculated on annual earnings (in favour of men, whereas it is in favour of women when calculated on hourly pay). The difference between the annual and hourly earnings pay gap measure can be attributed to males working more hours on average and receiving higher bonuses than females.

In April 2022, males in full-time employment worked 1.8 more paid hours per week than females (39.3 hours compared with 37.5 hours), whilst for those in part-time employment, males worked 2.6 hours less than females (17.0 hours compared with 19.6 hours).

Overall, males (38.0 hours) worked 5.2 hours more than females (32.8 hours), and a greater proportion of males (85%) worked full-time compared with females (60%).

5. Further information

ASHE data
The headline tables and detailed outputs from the 2022 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings can be found on the NISRA website. Previous publications and historical data can also be found online.

Alternative sources of employee earnings information - HMRC PAYE
Monthly experimental statistics on payrolled employees and their earnings from HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) system are available on the NISRA and ONS websites. HMRC PAYE RTI is the system employers use to take Income Tax and National Insurance contributions before they pay wages to employees. Data relate to employees paid by employers only, and do not include self-employment income or income from pensions, property rental or investments. Data are based on where employees live and not the location of their place of work within the UK. Data are seasonally adjusted but not adjusted for inflation. The HMRC PAYE covers the whole population rather than a sample of employees or companies. The data are classed as Experimental Statistics as the methodologies used to produce the statistics are still in their development phase. As a result, the series are subject to revisions.

Estimates from ASHE remain the principal source of employee earnings information and are National Statistics. While estimates from PAYE provide a more timely indication of employee earnings trends, they are still in the development stage and are classed as Experimental Statistics.

PAYE does not differentiate based on full-time or part-time job status, and includes those whose work was affected by absence. It also measures pay per person, which can include pay from more than one job, while ASHE measures pay per job.

The most comparable statistic to median earnings from PAYE is ASHE data on median gross weekly earnings of all employees surveyed, including those who work part-time. A comparison of ASHE and PAYE data based on April data in both sources shows that PAYE is typically lower, though both show the same trend. Likely reasons for this is that ASHE excludes workers whose pay is affected by absence and those not on adult rates of pay, while PAYE includes these. Further details have been published by HMRC and ONS.

Methodology
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is a UK wide survey that provides a wide range of information on earnings and hours worked. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out ASHE in Great Britain and it is carried out by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in NI.

The survey information related to the pay-week (or other pay period if the employee was paid less frequently) which included 27th April 2022, the reference date for the latest survey. The results, therefore, are not necessarily representative of pay over a longer period. They do not take account of subsequent changes in rates of pay which have become effective since April or changes which have been introduced with retrospective effect since the survey returns were completed.

Whilst the survey reference date (27th April) was outside the time period for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grant, annual earnings, which refer to the tax year ending 5th April 2022, will include the earnings of some employees who were fully furloughed, or flexi-furloughed, where earnings would be no less than 80%. Over the pandemic period earnings estimates were affected by changes in the composition of the workforce and the impact of the CJRS making interpretation difficult. The 2020 and 2021 data are therefore subject to more uncertainty and should be treated with caution. Users are encouraged to focus on long-term trends rather than year on year changes.

Coverage and sampling
As in previous years, the sample used for the survey comprised approximately 1% of all employees in NI who were covered by PAYE schemes. Someone who is in more than one PAYE scheme may appear more than once. Information on earnings and hours is obtained in confidence from employers under the authority of The Statistics of Trade and Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 1988. Information collected is treated as strictly confidential and is used only for statistical purposes. The resulting analyses do not show information about identifiable people or private businesses.

The ASHE estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to an associated level of variability. The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate. The CV is the ratio of the standard error of an estimate to the estimate, expressed as a percentage. The smaller the CV, the higher the quality of the estimate. The CVs are published alongside the estimates, and CVs for the key ASHE estimates are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Coefficient of variation (%) for key NI ASHE estimates, 2022

Pay Variable	Gender	Full-time	Part-time
Median gross weekly earnings	Males	2.1	7.2
	Females	2.7	3.3
	All	1.6	3.1
Median gross hourly earnings (excluding overtime)	Males	1.7	3.4
	Females	2.8	1.2
	All	1.4	1.2

Weighting
ASHE data are weighted to UK population totals from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) based on classes defined by region, occupation, age and sex. LFS data for 2021 and 2022 have been impacted by an issue with the occupation coding using SOC20, as set out in the latest update. Given the use of the 1-digit occupation in the weighting process the ASHE estimates will be subject to further review but the impact is likely to be minimal based on the initial analysis.

Rounding and revisions
Throughout this report, figures less than 100 are rounded to two-significant figures.

In line with normal practice, this release contains revised estimates from the 2021 survey results published on 26th October 2021. These results take account of some corrections to the original 2021 data that were identified during the validation of the results for 2022, as well as late returns. The 2022 results presented in this report are provisional and will be revised alongside next year’s results.

Methodology Changes 2004 to date
The ASHE bulletin presents the most recent data in the context of a 20 year time trend. As such it is worth noting a number of methodological changes that have taken place since the survey was introduced, in particular in 2004, 2007 and 2012. For 2004 and 2006, two sets of results are available based on the existing and updated methodologies at the time. Users should note that data used in the report relate to the updated methodology and superseded data has not been included in the time series charts.

The impact of the changes increases as the size of the group being considered decreases. For example, conclusions can be drawn when considering broad time trends over the 20 year period, but caution should be taken when comparing across occupations and industries.

Table 2: Methodology changes to the ASHE Survey

Year	Change	Impact
2004	ASHE replaced the New Earnings Survey	Coverage improved
2007	Sample design improvements	Results between 2004-2007 not directly comparable
2009	Change in industry classification from SIC 2003 to SIC 2007	Industries not directly comparable.
2012	Change in occupation coding from SOC2000 to SOC 2010	Occupations are used to weight ASHE results. Estimates before 2011 not directly comparable with later estimates.
2013	Change in sample frame from PAYE to RTI PAYE	Small impact on coverage
2022	Change in occupation coding from SOC2010 to SOC 2020	Occupations are used to weight ASHE results. Estimates before 2021 not directly comparable with later estimates.

Mean, Median and Percentiles
The mean and the median measure different things and either can be appropriate depending on what the user is trying to measure. The mean measures the average amount earned by individuals, but in a skewed distribution such as earnings this measure is susceptible to small numbers of very high earners. The median measures the amount earned by the average individual, i.e. the level of earnings at which half the population are above and half the population are below. A visual explanation of this is available on the NISRA website. Please note that changes in median values for sub-sectors of the population are not necessarily additive at the population level.

A percentile is a statistical measure which shows the value below which a given percentage of observations fall, i.e. the 10th percentile is the value below which the lowest earning 10% of employees fall, and the 50th percentile (median) is the value below which 50% of employees fall.

National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW)
The NLW rate that applied in April 2022 was £9.50 per hour for employees aged 23 and over. The NMW rates that applied in April 2022 were: £9.18 per hour for employees aged 21 and 22, £6.83 for employees aged 18 to 20, £4.81 for employees aged under 18 and apprentices. The following table provides a breakdown of NLWs and NMWs since April 2008.

Table 3: National Living Wage, 2016 to 2019 and National Minimum Wage, 2010 to 2022

Year	23+	21-22	18-20	Under 18	Apprentice
2022	£9.50	£9.18	£6.83	£4.81	£4.81
2021	£8.91	£8.36	£6.56	£4.62	£4.30
	25+	21 to 24	18 to 20	Under 18	Apprentice
2020	£8.72	£8.20	£6.45	£4.55	£4.15
2019	£8.21	£7.70	£6.15	£4.35	£3.90
2018	£7.83	£7.38	£5.90	£4.20	£3.70
2017	£7.50	£7.05	£5.60	£4.05	£3.50
2016 (Oct 16 to Mar 17)	£7.20	£6.95	£5.55	£4.00	£3.40
2016 (Apr 16 to Sep 17)*	£7.20	£6.70	£5.30	£3.87	£3.30
		21+	18 to 20	Under 18	Apprentice
2015		£6.70	£5.30	£3.87	£3.30
2014		£6.50	£5.13	£3.79	£2.73
2013		£6.31	£5.03	£3.72	£2.68
2012		£6.19	£4.98	£3.68	£2.65
2011		£6.08	£4.98	£3.68	£2.60
2010		£5.93	£4.92	£3.64	£2.50
		22+	18 to 21	Under 18
2009		£5.80	£4.83	£3.57
2008		£5.73	£4.77	£3.53

*Introduction of National Living Wage for 25 and over

More information on the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Simpson’s Paradox
A trend that appears in groups of data but not when the groups are combined is referred to as Simpson’s Paradox. In particular this phenomenon is apparent when NI earnings data is split by gender and other characteristics. For example, gender and working pattern, and gender and occupation. The following slideshow explains the occurrence within the NI earnings data and an ONS blog describes it here: Decoding the gender pay gap.

National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value, and it is our responsibility to maintain compliance with these standards.

These statistics were designated as National Statistics in September 2011 following a full assessment against the Code of Practice.

Since the assessment by the UK Statistics Authority, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:

Redesigned the ASHE Bulletin, publishing in HTML, improving the commentary, analysis and presentation, and providing more context.
Removed pre-release access to enhance trustworthiness.
Produced a Background Quality Report, assessing the quality of ASHE and its outputs.
Reduced respondent burden by providing the option to respond electronically to the survey and introducing a new online webform for ease of completion.