New research reveals gender pay disparity in different hospitality roles
An analysis of pay based on candidates registered in 2017 by luxury hospitality recruiter The Change Group revealed a 7.3% gender pay gap across the hospitality sector. It equates to men being paid on average £2000 per year more than women.
The disparity is highest amongst front of house managers, where men are paid about 13.7% more than women, which equates to more than £4000.
At the other end of the spectrum, for junior waiters and waitresses, the gender pay gap is only 2%. The Change Group says that this is likely to be because these roles are the lowest paid roles in hospitality, and pay is often set at around minimum wage.
At the back of house, the gender pay gap rises to 11.5%, with male chefs earning around £3000 more than females at the same level.
The gender pay gap for front of house staff is 10.8%, which equates to women being paid around £3260 less than men.
In bars and pubs, women are paid on average 8.4% less than men, which translates to around £2279.
The Change Group also found significant pay disparity between British and non-British workers, with British workers being paid on average 20.3% more than employees from other EU countries, which equates to £5800 per year. This figure dropped to 14.4% when compared to those from non-EU countries, which translates to £4,300 more.
“If we want to help the industry challenge the US or Asia as best destination for service and food culture then we need to start here by paying a fair wage for a fair job regardless of gender or nationality. Female talent has a vital role to play in developing UK hospitality, and this gender pay gap could put many women off joining or staying in the industry,” says Craig Allen, founder and director of The Change Group.
“While gender is currently the hot topic, we think the nationality pay gap is also an important agenda for discussion as the right level of pay has a part to play in attracting talent from overseas. It is vital to our industry to ensure that talent of all nationalities have access to the same pay and career development opportunities.”
