THE gender pay gap in drinks giant Diageo’s Scottish business widened in the past year despite the business posting an improved figure overall.

Last year the median male worker at the business earned 8.6 per cent more than the median female worker, with the gap falling to 5.4% this year.

In Scotland, where the bulk of the company’s manufacturing is done, the gap rose from 16.7% to 18%, with the business saying a number of factors were to blame.

“This gap grew in 2018, as we saw a reduction in the number of women opting for shift allowances for unsociable hours and the continuation of a long-term trend of manufacturing roles being filled by men,” the company said. “This year, we have recruited more women than men into entry level roles in our Scotland business, 50 per cent of all promotions were women, 66% of graduates hired were women, and we placed female science undergraduates in our innovation lab in Menstrie.

“Our focus for our business in Scotland is to build a strong pipeline of future female leaders across both office and manufacturing roles and we are confident that we have the right plans in place to narrow this pay gap in the future.”

South of the Border the firm’s gap is 12.6% in favour of women.