-
has spoken of her pride for
overseeing an increase in women's pay and those on the lowest
pay falling to a record low since she became the country's
first female Chancellor.
In 2025, the percentage of women on high hourly pay increased to
19% (up from 18.3% in 2024) while the percentage of women on
low hourly pay fell to the lowest level on record (2.8%
compared to 3.9% in 2024).
Women's weekly earnings rose by the equivalent of over £450 per
year between April 2024 and April 2025, compared to men's
earnings rising by £400 on the same basis.
The Chancellor was speaking yesterday evening [7 July] at a
Living Wage Foundation event in Church House Westminster where
she congratulated them on their campaign for a living wage which
has gone from strength to strength over the last 25 years. The
Making London a Living Wage City campaign, Uniqlo clothing
company and Just Helpers cleaning agency were among the attendees
to receive awards in a special ceremony for their contribution to
the campaign.
She backed the continuation of their campaign for more employers
to provide a Living Wage for their employees. So far, nearly
17,000 accredited Living Wage Employers are part of the movement,
and over 490,000 workers have received a pay rise as a result of
the Living Wage campaign.
It comes as the Chancellor's increase to the National Living Wage
and National Minimum Wage in April is putting hundreds of pounds
more in the pockets of millions of working people.
From April this year, 2.7 million full-time National Living Wage
workers are benefiting to the tune of £900 extra a year, and an
extra £1,500 a year is landing in the bank accounts of 18- to
20-year-olds who work full-time on the National Minimum Wage.
The Government has also launched voluntary action plans to help
women thrive at work. Large employers are being encouraged to
publish, not just what their gender pay gap is, but what actions
they are taking to reduce it - as well as how they are supporting
employees experiencing menopause.
The Employment Rights Act also includes other measures to
safeguard working people, including protections against sexual
harassment and improved dismissal protections for new and
expecting mothers.
Addressing the event, Chancellor of the Exchequer, , said:
Making work pay matters, especially in ensuring women's
contribution to the economy is fairly rewarded.
I am proud that the latest data shows women's
earnings have increased by an equivalent of over
£450 per year, with the percentage of women who are low
paid on an hourly basis having fallen to its lowest level on
record, at 2.8%.
We believe that work should provide dignity, work should
provide security, and work should pay. As Chancellor I would
like to congratulate all those in the living wage movement who
have campaigned for change and transformed lives over the last 25
years.
Notes to editors
- Low pay is defined as earnings below two-thirds of the median
hourly pay, and high pay is anything above 1.5 times the median
hourly pay.
