Marketers from working-class backgrounds are being paid 15.3% on average less than their middle- and upper-class peers, versus 15.9% in 2024.
After much talk about the desire to make businesses more equitable and open to talent from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, new data suggests progress is stalling.
Analysis of Marketing Week’s exclusive 2025 Career & Salary Survey finds a socio-economic pay gap for full-time workers of 15.3%, flat compared to last year’s figure at 15.9%. Furthermore, 74% of the sample identify as middle-class, up on the 70.1% figure reported last year.
The data reveals a socio-economic pay gap at every level of seniority. According to the analysis, marketing executives from working class backgrounds are paid 24% less than their peers from middle- and upper-class backgrounds.
