The firm’s record on equal pay was revealed as construction employers with over 250 staff published their gender pay gap figures for the second time.
The Government hopes the data will shine a light on the barriers preventing women from reaching the top.
Construction ranks as one of the worst industry’s for pay inequality with women paid a third less than men on average.
The returns by leading main contractors reveal Laing O’Rourke is way ahead on pay equality with women on average paid 12% less than men.
| Main contractor pay gap reports |
| Ranking |
Main contractor |
Staff |
% Difference in hourly rate |
% Women in |
| 2018 |
2017 |
Employer |
Size band |
Median |
Mean |
lower pay quartile |
higher pay quartile |
| 1 |
1 |
LAING O’ROURKE SERVICES |
5000 to 19,999 |
10.9 |
12.3 |
16.2 |
9.7 |
| 2 |
2 |
RINGWAY INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES |
1000 to 4999 |
12.9 |
8.8 |
22.6 |
3.7 |
| 3 |
5 |
F M CONWAY |
1000 to 4999 |
15.3 |
10.1 |
19.4 |
7.9 |
| 4 |
10 |
KIER |
5000 to 19,999 |
20.5 |
23.1 |
32 |
14 |
| 5 |
7 |
NMCN |
1000 to 4999 |
21.1 |
22.8 |
24.5 |
6.5 |
| 6 |
3 |
SKANSKA CONSTRUCTION UK |
1000 to 4999 |
22.4 |
15.9 |
26.3 |
10.3 |
| 7 |
14 |
ENGIE REGENERATION |
1000 to 4999 |
22.8 |
26.4 |
37 |
10 |
| 8 |
9 |
J. MURPHY & SONS |
1000 to 4999 |
23.9 |
25.3 |
28 |
7 |
| 9 |
4 |
ESH CONSTRUCTION |
500 to 999 |
24.5 |
23.4 |
17.1 |
4.2 |
| 10 |
6 |
FERROVIAL AGROMAN (UK) |
250 to 499 |
25.5 |
23.3 |
14 |
41 |
| 11 |
11 |
COSTAIN ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION |
1000 to 4999 |
27 |
25.4 |
46.3 |
12.7 |
| 12 |
13 |
BAM NUTTALL |
1000 to 4999 |
27.4 |
24.8 |
33.2 |
7.5 |
| 13 |
12 |
SEDDON CONSTRUCTION |
500 to 999 |
27.9 |
22.7 |
34 |
11 |
| 14 |
23 |
GEOFFREY OSBORNE |
250 to 499 |
29.3 |
28.9 |
53 |
17 |
| 15 |
8 |
BALFOUR BEATTY GROUP EMPLOYMENT |
5000 to 19,999 |
30 |
24 |
34 |
9 |
| 16 |
26 |
CLUGSTON CONSTRUCTION |
250 to 499 |
31 |
35.9 |
42.9 |
6.3 |
| 17 |
31 |
BARHALE |
500 to 999 |
31.2 |
29.9 |
30 |
5 |
| 18 |
17 |
VOLKERWESSELS UK |
1000 to 4999 |
31.4 |
29.1 |
27.8 |
8.5 |
| 19 |
15 |
INTERSERVE CONSTRUCTION |
1000 to 4999 |
32 |
33.3 |
26.3 |
4.6 |
| 20 |
18 |
MORGAN SINDALL GROUP |
5000 to 19,999 |
32 |
32.2 |
36 |
9 |
| 21 |
16 |
SIR ROBERT MCALPINE |
1000 to 4999 |
32.7 |
27.6 |
11.8 |
8.4 |
| 22 |
24 |
ARDMORE CONSTRUCTION |
250 to 499 |
33.6 |
30 |
44 |
13 |
| 23 |
22 |
GALLIFORD TRY EMPLOYMENT |
5000 to 19,999 |
34.5 |
31.7 |
39.3 |
9.5 |
| 24 |
29 |
ISG CONSTRUCTION |
500 to 999 |
34.6 |
31.5 |
32.9 |
3.1 |
| 25 |
19 |
HIGGINS CONSTRUCTION |
250 to 499 |
35.1 |
46.6 |
30.3 |
4.4 |
| 26 |
20 |
LENDLEASE CONSTRUCTION (EUROPE) |
500 to 999 |
35.8 |
29.6 |
34 |
5 |
| 27 |
27 |
BUCKINGHAM GROUP CONTRACTING |
500 to 999 |
35.9 |
30.7 |
27.6 |
2.4 |
| 28 |
25 |
JOHN GRAHAM CONSTRUCTION |
1000 to 4999 |
36.6 |
37.3 |
36.8 |
5.9 |
| 29 |
28 |
MACE |
5000 to 19,999 |
37.2 |
33 |
50 |
7 |
| 30 |
21 |
WATES GROUP SERVICES |
1000 to 4999 |
37.4 |
33.2 |
45.2 |
9.7 |
| 31 |
30 |
BOUYGUES (U.K.) |
1000 to 4999 |
38.4 |
32.7 |
49.9 |
11.1 |
| 32 |
33 |
JOHN SISK & SON |
250 to 499 |
39.2 |
33.2 |
36 |
6 |
| 33 |
32 |
WILLMOTT DIXON CONSTRUCTION |
1000 to 4999 |
42.9 |
36.2 |
46.2 |
5 |
| 34 |
35 |
MCLAUGHLIN & HARVEY CONSTRUCTION |
250 to 499 |
45 |
40.6 |
25.7 |
4 |
| 35 |
36 |
MULTIPLEX CONSTRUCTION EUROPE |
500 to 999 |
46 |
42.5 |
40.9 |
4.6 |
| 36 |
34 |
BOWMER AND KIRKLAND |
1000 to 4999 |
48.4 |
41.9 |
52 |
3.4 |
| 37 |
37 |
VINCI CONSTRUCTION UK |
1000 to 4999 |
52 |
45 |
62.1 |
8.3 |
| 38 |
39 |
MIDAS GROUP |
500 to 999 |
52.4 |
47.8 |
47.7 |
4 |
| 39 |
40 |
BAM CONSTRUCT UK |
1000 to 4999 |
55.2 |
45.4 |
58.4 |
7.3 |
| 40 |
38 |
MCLAREN CONSTRUCTION |
500 to 999 |
58.4 |
50.6 |
46.9 |
2 |
Companies had to file data based on a “snapshot” of their payroll taken on 5 April 2018.
The listing of the top 40 main contractors is ranked by the median, which gives a good sense of where a company is overall, the mean figures will include the outliers with large salaries.
The mean hourly rate is the average hourly wage across the entire organisation so the mean gender pay gap is a measure of the difference between women’s mean hourly wages and men’s mean hourly wages.
The median hourly rate is calculated by ranking all employees from the highest paid to the lowest paid, and taking the hourly wage of the person in the middle; so the median gender pay gap is the difference between women’s median hourly wage (the middle paid woman) and men’s median hourly wage (the middle paid man).
