New research from People Like Us and Scope finds 77% of UK workers support mandatory disability pay gap reporting, and 70% support mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.
A survey of 2,000 working professionals across the UK revealed massive public support for the change, with over three-quarters supporting compulsory disability pay gap disclosure (77%) and seven in ten backing ethnicity pay gap reporting (70%). The demand for action comes as the Government considers its response to the recent Equality (Race and Disability) Bill consultation
A demand for stronger safeguards
Almost three-quarters (73%) of workers want tougher legal requirements obliging employers to publish pay information and to take corrective action when gaps emerge and nearly eight in ten (78%) believe employers should have to compare the pay of employees performing work of equal value. According to the nationwide poll, commissioned by People Like Us and Scope, more than nine in ten (92%) expect firms to implement remedial measures or provide clear justifications whenever discrepancies are found.
Widening pay gaps are driving more people to overstretched public services – a stark warning as 67% of UK workers struggle to cover basic costs
The data underlines that pay gaps aren’t just shrinking pay packets – they’re driving greater reliance on Government support and services. Black (76%) and Mixed Descent (75%2) workers and those with a disability (75%2) are significantly more likely to report that their current pay level and job security has resulted in them needing to rely more on public services over the past year, compared to 52%2 of White workers.
Almost half (49%) of workers have taken time off in the past 12 months due to stress or anxiety related to pay, finances or the cost of living. However, the burden is not felt equally. Structural inequalities mean that workers from Black (64%3), Asian (67%3) and mixed (63%3) ethnic backgrounds are significantly more likely than their white (44%3) counterparts to take time off for these reasons. Disabled workers are also disproportionately affected, with nearly three-quarters (73%3) having taken time off in the past year compared to 44%3 of non-disabled workers – a reflection of the compounded impact of the disability pay gap, rising costs, and the additional stress of managing long-term health alongside financial pressure.
Rising financial pressures and economic instability mean pay transparency is critical
Pay secrecy is widely seen as perpetuating discrimination and over two-thirds (69%) suspect that pay secrecy is directly fuelling inequality in their workplace – these figures rise amongst disabled workers (79%4) and those of Black (80%4), Asian (79%4) and mixed descent (72%4) heritage. Almost three quarters (74%) of workers surveyed agree that greater transparency around pay would lead to a healthier workplace culture. Over three quarters (77%) of workers surveyed agree5 that employers should have to publish the salary range for a job in a job advert.
Britain’s Ethnicity Bill
To hold the UK government to its promises to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting and implement the long-promised Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, People Like Us have launched Britain’s Ethnicity Bill.
The campaign seeks to prevent delays to the Government’s proposed bill by spotlighting a different type of bill: a giant receipt showing the £3.2bn bill owed to Britain’s ethnic minority workers, in the form of lost annual earnings made up by the ethnicity pay gap.
Better workplace practices and fairer opportunities
Alongside closing pay gaps, three in four workers (75%) agree5 that employers should actively tackle the barriers that block fair recruitment and progression. Pay inequality persists when women, ethnic minority and disabled employees remain concentrated in lower-paid roles and are excluded from leadership.
Beyond more equitable recruitment practices, working professionals want clearer measures around salary transparency. Companies could be losing out on great talent – on average, workers have not applied to a job because there was no salary range twice in the last year. For those applying for jobs, 56% have been put off a job application because there was no salary range. People Like Us and Scope are advocates for the EU Pay Transparency Directive as a future policy area for consideration as the legislation is currently being rolled out across all 27 EU member states The directive requires employers to publish salary ranges, bans them from asking about salary history and gives rights to find out the pay of others doing similar work.
Sheeraz Gulsher, co-founder of non-profit People Like Us, commented:
“The Government has a duty to move quickly with this bill which will help businesses build trust and create a fairer workplace environment for all. Ethnic minorities and disabled workers are being short-changed, not just in pay but in opportunity – and it’s costing this country billions each year. Reporting is not a silver bullet, but it’s the bare minimum. Now is the time for the Government to act.”
Tom Heys, pay gap expert at Lewis Silkin, added: “This polling shows what many employers already recognise, that transparency matters. Ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting was a manifesto commitment, but without a clear timeline, businesses are left in limbo. Employers want to do the right thing, but they need certainty and support to move from intention to action.”
James Taylor, strategy director at disability equality charity Scope, said:
“These findings send a strong message that disabled workers want and deserve transparency on pay and the rest of the country agrees with them. For too long, disabled people have been locked out of jobs or on lower wages. If the Government is committed to tackling the Disability Employment Gap, it should move at pace to introduce pay gap reporting, support workplaces across the UK become fairer and more inclusive, and help lift disabled workers out of low pay and in-work poverty.”
The tool can be found here: https://britainsethnicitybill.plu.org.uk/
