Women are continuing to fall behind their male counterparts when it comes to salary with latest figures showing the pay gap has widened.

Figures from the 2008 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that women have slipped further behind men in the pay stakes during the past year.

The gap mainly reflects the type of jobs done by men and women, different working patterns and the impact of dependents on women’s career choices, but employers and government need to work together to narrow the gap according to Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

He said: “Figures showing that the pay gap between full-time male and female employees widened in the year to April is most disappointing and a blow to progress towards equality.

“The poor year for women in the workforce is further exacerbated by relatively small increases in the pay of part-time workers and public sector workers, categories of work where women are in the majority.

“Even greater effort will need to be made by employers and government to narrow the gap.

“The gap mainly reflects variations in the type of jobs done, the impact of child and elder care on womens’ career choices and hours of work.”