Aldi discloses 4.8% gender pay gap

Aldi has revealed a median gender pay gap of 4.8%, well below the national average.

The discount supermarket said that this is a result of “having more men than women in store management positions in the upper quartile”, and gave the example of graduate area sales managers, who all join the company on a £44,000 salary irrespective of any other factors.

The figures come after the announcement that by April 2018 all employers will be required to publish their mean and median gender pay gap figures and the proportion of men and women in each quartile of the pay structure.

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the UK’s current mean gender pay gap is 17.4%, while the median figure is 18.4%.

James Hutcheson, managing director of Aldi UK, said “While we have always ensured colleagues have access to the same opportunities and recognise there are a number of factors outside of our control, such as an employee’s personal choice of working hours to suit their individual circumstances, we recognise that there is more we can do to address our gender pay gap. This is something we are absolutely committed to.

“Aldi has always been an organisation where people can thrive and develop regardless of their gender or background and we will continue to offer fair, equitable pay to all colleagues.”