Companies are dashing to release their gender pay gaps at the eleventh hour as the deadline to reveal the figures fast approaches.
Public and private sector employers with 250 employees or more are obliged to reveal by midnight on Wednesday how much more or less male staff are paid compared with female counterparts.
The government estimates this to apply to around 9,000 organisations. Despite the fact firms have had a whole year to disclose their gender pay gap thousands have left it to the final moment - more than 1,200 companies reported in the past 24 hours.
By almost 5pm on deadline day, more than 9720 companies had reported their gender pay discrepancy, with more than 200 of those publishing between 8am and 10.30am.
Any firms with over 250 employees who do not comply by midnight on Wednesday are set to be targeted with stiff penalties.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has said it will initially contact employers informally if they have not published by the deadline, but businesses could ultimately be faced with “unlimited fines and convictions”.
Many firms have already revealed shocking discrepancies between what they pay men and women. Gaps have been far higher than the UK average of 18.4 per cent which is tantamount to women earning 81.6p for every £1 paid to a man.
