The bosses of the most valuable UK-listed companies had to work less than three days of 2026 to earn more than a typical worker does in a year, new research shows.
The earnings of FTSE 100 chief executives surpassed the average salary of British workers just before midday on Tuesday, according to analysis from thinktank the High Pay Centre.
Average pay (excluding pension contributions) for heads of UK blue chip companies stands at £4.40m, equivalent to an hourly rate of £1,353.23 and 113 times the average full-time worker's pay of £39,039.
The analysis is based on company pay disclosures and government statistics.
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The CEOs are not the only business leaders being well paid. Partners at so-called Magic Circle law firms will earn the average UK full-time salary on 8 January, while partners at the Big Four accounting firms will do so on 20 January.
Those in the top 1% of incomes will reach the point on 19 March.
It comes after the chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, Dame Julia Hoggett, said in November that UK companies were being more "forceful" in rewarding top executives with higher pay packages to attract the best talent.
For the 2024-25 financial year, FTSE 100 chief executive pay grew by 6.8% to a record £4.58m from £4.29m the previous year, according to an earlier report by the High Pay Centre.
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