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Low-paid Londoners by sex

Proportion of London residents' jobs paid below London Living Wage by sex (2005-2024)

Last update: December 2024

What does this indicator show?

This indicator looks at jobs held by London residents that are paid below the London Living Wage, split by sex. These jobs may be located within London or outside the capital. 

The London Living Wage was introduced in 2005. It is a voluntary wage rate based on the amount of money that people need to live. The rate in London in April 2024 when the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings we use for this analysis was conducted was £13.15.

What does it tell us?

Women have consistently been more likely to be in low-paid work than men. In 2024, 19.4% of female Londoners were in low-paid work, which was a sharp increase compared to 2023 (17%). By contrast 15% of male Londoners were in low-paid work, which was a smaller increase compared to 2023 (14%).

This gender gap in low-paid employment is driven by the number of women who are in part-time work. Men in part time work are slightly more likely to be low paid than women - 46.3% compared to 40%. But far more women are in part time work than men, which leads to women overall being more likely to be low paid.

There is no significant difference in the proportion of men in full-time work who are in low-paid jobs (9.8%) and the proportion of women in full-time work (10%).

Proportion of London residents' jobs paid below London Living Wage by sex and employment type (2024)