UK businesses have revealed the extent of the nationwide gender pay gap today, after a government deadline for companies with over 250 employees to publish gender pay data passed overnight. The Drum has delved into the mass of data published – which includes over 10,000 employers and UK businesses – and pulled out the relevant figures. Below, you’ll find the eligible agencies and media companies with the smallest and biggest gender pay gaps in favour of men. The figures from The Drum's sample show that UK marketing businesses have a median hourly pay gap of 16.2% – slightly better than the UK-wide median of 18.4% – while media companies fared better, with an average median of 13.5%. Agencies Among UK agencies, the companies with the biggest mean gender pay gaps were WPP’s holding company, WPP 2005 Ltd (42.2%) , WPP-owned agency J Walter Thompson (38.8%), DDB (38.1%), OMD EMEA (35%) and Kantar UK (33.3%). J Walter Thompson London chief executive James Whitehead said that the figures from his agency were “obviously disappointing”. In contrast, agencies such as Creative Lynx and OMD Group reported figures below the UK median, at 12% and 5.7% respectively, while Golin was the only agency included in the data to report a gender pay gap in favour of women, with female staff paid on average 3.8% more then male employees. Media Among media companies, the firms with the largest mean gender pay gaps were trade publisher Wilmington (49.6%), Conde Nast (36.9%), Telegraph Media Group (35%), LBC and Capital broadcaster Global Radio Services (34.5%) and magazine publisher Economist Newspaper Ltd (32.5%). Those figures stood in stark contrast to reported numbers at consumer magazine publisher Future, national broadcaster Channel 5 and Clear Channel UK, which all had gender pay gaps in favour of their female staff. Of the 'new media' companies to have reported figures, Oath's mean gender pay gap stood at 23.5%, Google's 17% and Facebook's a considerably lower 0.8%. Companies that have not published their gender pay gap figures could face legal action and unlimited fines, though a YouGov survey found that only 63% of executives were aware they were legally required to report.
The extent of the gender pay gap in UK media companies has been revealed, as businesses with more than 250 employees published data to comply with new government requirements. London-based agency J Walter Thompson recorded a gap of 38.8%, while its parent company WPP's was 42.2%. Trade publisher Golin had a gap of 49.6%, and Conde Nast was at 36.9%. By contrast, Creative Lynx and OMD Group had figures below the UK average, while PR firm Wilmington, plus Channel 5 and consumer magazine publisher Future, all had pay gaps in favour of women.