Twice as many male graduates will earn over £50k in their first job compared to their female counterparts, new research suggest.
New data compiled by Office Freedom reveals the gender pay gap grows at a slower rate for women as it revealed that 20% of male graduates take jobs earning £39,000 and above, compared to just 12% of women.
Across every single wage band analysed, overall outcome for men is better than women. Fifty-seven percent of female graduates take roles paying under £30,000, compared to 44% of men.
However, the data also reveals that three-quarters of male students who graduate this year will enter jobs paying less than the UK average salary.
The most recent figures show a median average earnings of £37,000 across the British workforce. But in our detailed study of graduate pay, Office Freedom has discovered that 75% of those who come through University take up employment in jobs which pay less than that figure.
Office Freedom’s research has found that just seven percent of graduates start work in roles which pay £51,000 and above, while only 12% are paid £42,000 or more in their graduate role.
Instead, the norm is to enter full-time work on wages well under the UK average, with over half (52%) earning under £30,000-a-year.
Richard Smith, Founder and CEO of Office Freedom commented on the report: “Students have an extraordinary number of pressures on them today. With increasing tuition fees, rising costs of living, and stagnant wages after education all make university education less and less appealing.”
“Many graduates will be leaving full-time education, earning less than they may hope, with female graduates earning less on average than their male counterparts. More needs to be done to ensure all graduates have equal opportunities to earn a fair market rate, regardless of their gender.”
