Women working for a year in Malta will earn the equivalent of six weeks less than men, as fresh Eurostat figures show the pay rate for females is 11 per cent lower.

Data issued by the EU statistical office earlier this year listed Malta as having the second lowest gender pay gap rate across member states but updated figures published late last week show this is no longer the case with the island slipping to ninth place.

What this means is that if a man earns a monthly salary of €2,500, a woman holding the same position would get €2,225.

Spread over a year, the discrepancy is such that women are not getting paid for six weeks.

At EU level, the average gender wage gap stood at 16.7 per cent in 2014, the year under review.

The discrepancy in wages was highest in Estonia, with over 28 per cent, and lowest in Romania – 4.5 per cent.

The head of the University’s Centre for Labour Studies, Anna Borg, told this newspaper the figures proved that the issue could no longer be swept under the carpet.

We have been saying for years that the issue needs to be addressed but this is now a clear sign of alarm

“Figures continue to go up and we can no longer continue to ignore this. We have been saying for years that the issue needs to be addressed but this is now a clear sign of alarm,” Dr Borg said.

She insisted it was incomprehensible that notwithstanding such clear indications that women were being paid less than men the situation seemed to have been accepted.

“Why is it that women doing the same jobs as men are being paid less and, yet, this is still being tolerated?

“We need to take action and raise awareness,” Dr Borg said.

Still, solving the problem might not be as straightforward, Dr Borg acknowledged, adding that concrete measures would have to be taken to adequately bring about significant change.

“Let’s start by acknowledging that we have a problem and then proceed to give this problem the priority it deserves.

“Trade unions also need to start making sure that when negotiating agreements for their workers, they ensure there is transparency,” she added.

The gender pay gap represents the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of male and female employees as a percentage of average gross hourly earnings of male paid employees.