Indicator
Inequalities in hourly pay by qualification level
Published
29 April 2025
Last updated
26 June 2026
Time to read
About 2 mins
About 2 mins
Key points
- Average hourly pay increases with qualification level, but varies by sex and disability.
Education plays an important role in shaping people’s health by influencing factors such as income and employment. It can also support better health literacy, making it easier for people to understand health information and allow more informed health choices as a result.
This chart shows the percentage difference in average hourly pay of 25 to 29-year-olds with different qualification levels compared with people with no or low qualifications, by sex and disability.
- Across all qualification levels, men with qualifications earn more than men with low or no qualifications. The same is true for women, although the percentage difference in pay is smaller. The difference in pay gains between men and women narrows at degree and postgraduate levels.
- The percentage difference in hourly pay between men with A levels (or equivalent) and men with low or no qualifications is 25.8%. For women, the equivalent difference is 6.4%.
- Across all qualification levels, non-disabled people with qualifications earn more than non-disabled people with low or no qualifications. The same is true for disabled people, although the pay increase is smaller. At postgraduate level, this pattern reverses, with disabled people seeing a larger percentage difference in pay.
- The data presented here are weighted estimates from the Labour Force Survey, an ongoing survey of households in the UK published by the Social Mobility Commission.
- Qualification levels refer to the highest qualification that an individual holds.
- Lower level qualifications are defined as qualifications below CSE grade 1. This is equivalent to GCSE grade 9–4. This category also includes those with no qualifications.
- Postgraduate degrees are qualifications beyond undergraduate level, such as master’s degrees and doctorates.
- Disability is defined as reporting any physical or mental health problem that lasts or is expected to last a year or longer and that limits someone's ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
- Hourly pay is adjusted for inflation and controlling for socio-economic background, sex and age. Values are three-year mean averages.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey via Social Mobility Commission, UK, 2024.
