Hackney Council has a negative gender pay gap, meaning women on average earn more than men. However, men are over-represented in the lowest pay quartile, according to a report presented to the Corporate Committee.
The Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap 2026 Report
revealed that while women earn approximately 5% more than men on average, they are under-represented in roles such as those in trades, which fall into the lowest pay quartile. Specifically, women are 5-10% overrepresented in the top three pay quartiles, but under-represented in the bottom quartile.
This points to women being much less likely to be employed in certain council roles, such as those in trades.
Men are over-represented in the lowest pay quartile by 15.64 percentage points (widened by 2.38 percentage points since 2025)
. Typical jobs in this lower quartile include environmental operatives, care workers, hygiene operatives, and cleaners.
Councillor Florence Schechter, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resident Service and Digital, stated in the report that tackling pay inequality is both a practical imperative and one of justice.
She added that Pay gap reporting is only the first step in addressing these issues. It is important for every organisation to understand where they are starting from before addressing pay inequality, and this is why this report is so crucial.
Beyond reporting, Hackney Council plans to undertake a workforce demographic review to analyse gender representation across the four pay quartiles, alongside recruitment, progression and occupational distribution data, to identify any structural factors contributing to the pay gap.
The council will also continue to strengthen support for employees experiencing menopause by promoting and embedding the existing Menopause Guidance.
Hackney's mean gender pay gap of -4.53% (for 2025) places it in the first quartile of all London boroughs. Compared to 33 other London councils for the 2024/25 cycle, 13 had negative gaps favouring women, with Hackney showing one of the larger pay advantages for women. Nationally, Hackney's negative mean gender pay gap contrasts with the positive averages seen in local government and the UK overall.
The report also addresses the ethnicity pay gap, which shows a gap in favour of White employees. For 2026, the mean ethnicity pay gap is 12.63% and the median ethnicity pay gap is 7.68%. Notably, Black or Global Majority employees make up 72.8% of the bottom quartile.
To further understand the ethnicity pay gap, the Council will undertake a detailed ethnicity pay gap review to better understand the underlying factors contributing to differences in pay outcomes for Black & Global Majority employees.
The full report can be found in the Public reports pack Monday 14 Sep 2026 18:30 Corporate Committee.
