LGBTQ+ young adults earn less than their straight colleagues, new research has found.

In a sign that the LGBTQ+ pay gap is continuing to deepen, 24% of queer young adults make less than £19,999 per year.

This is compared to 16% of heterosexual cisgender young adults, research by the LGBTQ+ young people charity Just Like Us found.

The research, shared exclusively with Metro.co.uk today, showed just how much a person’s sexuality and gender identity can play a part in the numbers printed on their paycheques.

Just Like Us surveyed 3,695 young people aged 18 to 25 to see how being LGBTQ+ can make holding a job that little bit harder.

When it comes to pay, gender plays a big part. Only 12% of straight men take home less than £19,999 a year, straight women are almost twice as likely to (20%).

But the research found how employers hit queer women with double pay penalties.

A third of queer women (31%) took home less than £19,999 a year, compared to a quarter of non-binary people and 17% of queer men.

Overall, asexual and lesbian young adults were the most likely to make £19,999 or less per year, at 34% and 33% respectively.

It’s not an easy task to get to the bottom of why differences in wages exist for LGBTQ+ people – but discrimination, researchers say, is a key driving force.

Discrimination can hold LGBTQ+ back from both earning more and progressing up the corporate ladder, many studies have found.

Just Like Us did as well. The charity reported that 31% of gay men go back into the closet when they clock in for work every day.

And they have their reasons to. One in five LGBTQ+ people surveyed has experienced workplace bullying, compared to 14% of straight cis people.

Of the LGBTQ+ young adults polled, 14% said they rarely or never felt able to be themselves at work. This figure leapt to 20% for trans people.

Being LGBTQ+ can make a massive difference in a person’s work life, from what they include on their CV to the types of jobs they gun for.

But someone’s sexuality or gender identity can even impact their chances of having a job to begin with, Just Like Us found.

Trans young adults were the least likely of all polled to be holding down a job, with 56% saying they are not currently employed, the survey found.

Gay men were the most likely in the LGBTQ+ to be employed at 64%.

Nearly four in 10 LGBTQ+ young adults work full-time, slightly less than the 44% of non-LGBTQ+ people who do the same.

Non-binary and trans young people were the least likely to be employed full-time, at 25% and 29% respectively.

So an employer simply having inclusive policies and being publicly committed to equality can make a big difference.

For young LGBTQ+ people, 65% said a company’s commitment to the community’s rights and diversity was ‘very important’ to them when applying for a role.

Lesbian (72%), non-binary (70%) and trans (67%) young adults said this outward support makes all the difference to them, with 59% of non-LGBT+ young adults saying the same.

There are ways the LGBTQ+ pay gap could be closed, says Amy Ashenden, the interim CEO of Just Like Us.

Researchers have suggested employers pay LGBTQ+ people what they deserve, encourage them to apply for jobs and promotions and put anti-discrimination policies in place, to name a few.

‘It is extremely concerning that LGBT+ young adults face so many challenges in the workplace that, in 2023, a quarter go back into the closet when starting a job,’ Amy said.

‘High levels of workplace bullying and what appears to be a LGBT+ pay gap among the youngest in our workforces should be a real cause for concern,’ Amy adds.

‘Workplaces must do more on LGBT+ inclusion, and LGBT+ young people are eager for their support.’

‘Our research shows that the treatment of LGBT+ people in British society today is preventing young adults from thriving at work.’

Amy pointed to how the charity pairs young LGBTQ+ adults with mentors as one example of how workplaces can change this.

One in five workplaces told the Trade Union Congress (TUC) they don’t have any policies in place to support their LGBTQ+ staffers. While half surveyed said they have a policy prohibiting homophobic discrimination, harassment and bullying.

‘LGBT+ young people deserve to safely be themselves at school, home and work,’ Amy added, ‘there must be no exceptions.’

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