Fatcat bosses will have earned more by the end of today than an ordinary worker will all year.
The shock gap with rank-and-file staff means a typical CEO rakes in the average staff salary in just three working days.
FTSE 100 chiefs get the equivalent of £901 an hour, against £14.37 an hour for a full-time employee, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the High Pay Centre think-tank data shows.
The figures come as big firms are being forced to reveal for the first time the pay divide.
The average FTSE 100 boss in 2018 got £3.46million, with the top paid being Jeff Fairburn, ex-chief of builder Persimmon, on £38.9million.
Peter Cheese, of the CIPD, said: “Pay ratio reporting is just the start. We need businesses to justify high levels of pay.” The analysis is based on longer hours and more days for those running firms.
But Luke Hildyard, of the High Pay Centre, said: “How employers distribute pay plays an important role in determining living standards. CEOs are paid extraordinarily highly compare to the workforce, helping make the UK one of the most unequal countries in Europe.”
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady added: “Every working person plays a part but people at the top take more than their share.”
Edwin Morgan, of the Institute of Directors, said: “CEOs can make or break companies, so it’s no surprise boards will pay to get the right people.”
