WORKERS in Bradford are, on average, paid £3,600 a year less than their counterparts in Leeds, according to a new regional survey by employment group Manpower.

The latest Manpower Pay League report also shows that pay levels in Yorkshire are around £4,500 less than the UK average of £33,000.

Manpower's findings show that average pay in Leeds outshines other major Northern cities, including Bradford where average full time earnings are £27,000. Yorkshire's best paid full time workers live in Selby, earning £32,600 a year.

The figures also reveal that the marked pay gap between the region’s men and women is closing. While men in full time work still earn more than women at £14.62 an hour, compared to £13.09, women's pay rose by 1.1 per cent last year while men’s pay fell by 1.3 per cent.

Amanda White, Manpower operations manager, said: “Despite the current rhetoric around the Northern Powerhouse and the drive to make Yorkshire and the Humber thrive, pay in the region is heading in the wrong direction and outside of Leeds many of our cities are lagging behind their counterparts elsewhere in the North of England. It’s vital our region creates more and better-paid private sector jobs, so investment is more urgent than ever.”

Manpower's analysis is based on the most recent Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings from the Office of National Statistics.