A concerning statistic highlights that in 2025, the chief executives of FTSE 100 companies will have earned more by noon on Monday than the average employee receives over an entire year.
This figure underscores the growing income inequality between top executives and their workers.
According to the High Pay Centre, a campaign organisation, the median pay for FTSE 100 CEOs is £4.22 million, which is 113 times higher than the median annual salary of a full-time worker, £37,430. This means that UK executives will surpass their employees’ yearly earnings within 29 hours of work, reaching this milestone around 11:30 am on Monday, assuming they begin their day immediately after the New Year holiday.
This year, CEOs will achieve this earnings threshold slightly faster than last year, when it was reached by 1 pm on the third working day of the year.
While workers’ salaries have seen some improvement, increasing by 7% over the year compared to a 2.5% rise for executives, the pay for top bosses remains at record levels.
The annual study aims to shed light on the significant pay gap between executives and their staff, a disparity that has been widening over recent decades. This growing gap has sparked calls for action from unions and certain political leaders, advocating for measures to address and reduce income inequality within companies.
