More than 10,000 employers with 250 or more staff have published their gender pay gap, however over 1,500 companies have failed to meet the deadline.

According to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, 1,557 firms had missed the deadline and will now be contacted and investigated. The Commission could take legal action against them as well other penalties.

The deadline for reporting the gender pay gap was this past Wednesday for private companies.

Figures from the UK Government Equalities Office showed that of the more than 10,000 employers who reported their pay gap data, 78% of the firms paid men more than women on average, while 14% paid women more. Meanwhile, 8% of companies reported having no pay gap. The median pay gap stood at 9.7%.

The largest pay gap, of 85.2%, in favour of women, was reported by NWN Media, a regional news business owned by Newsquest.

Tom Hadley, Director of Policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, commented, ““We are pleased to see employers, including a number of recruitment agencies, submit their gender pay gap reporting ahead of the deadline. Creating more transparency is a good first step to talk about the opportunities available to everyone at work across our whole labour market.”

“Because the contractors and temporary agency staff recruiters supply are also included in agencies’ reporting, alongside their own employees, it’s difficult to get a clear picture about the state of play for gender balance within our own industry,” Hadley said.

“Recruitment itself is an exciting, challenging and fulfilling career where hard-working people can succeed, no matter what their gender or background. We’ll continue to work with members to promote the benefits of working in recruitment and to make our industry a career of choice,” Hadley said.