The government has already introduced mandatory gender pay reporting for firms with more than 250 staff, but there is nothing which requires companies to share their ethnicity pay gap figures.

The TUC has called for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting. Its general secretary Frances O’Grady, responding to the ONS figures, said: “The harsh reality is that even today race still plays a real role in determining pay.

“TUC research has shown that far too many black and minority ethnic workers are stuck in insecure and temporary work, which not only has a huge impact on their life chances but also widens the pay gap.

“This problem isn’t simply going to disappear over time. Ministers must take bold action to confront inequality and racism in the labour market. The obvious first step is to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting without delay.”

It can be depressing to constantly read about how marginalised groups, from women to working-class people to ethnic minorities, are undervalued. But there is a positive to all these statistics; when we know how bad the problem is, we can really begin to put things in motion to change the situation.

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Why the ethnic pay gap figures are essential, even if they’re disappointing