Women in full-time work are closing the gender pay gap to its lowest ever level, official figures have shown.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), salaries of women in full-time jobs were 9.1% less than men back in April this year.

However, a recent overview has found a 1.9% increase in women's average earnings - up from £11.69 an hour to £11.91 compared to a 0.8% rise from £13 to £13.11 per hour for men.

Although men are still the top earners in full-time employment, female part-time workers earn 5.6% more than their male counterparts.

The gender pay gap hasn't closed completely as women's overall earnings are still 19.5% lower than men's but this shows a slight improvement from the 19.8% gap in 2010.

"Forty years after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, today's figures are a step in the right direction, but we can't be complacent as the gap is still there," says commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission Kay Carberry.

"One way to help narrow it would be by removing the secrecy surrounding equal pay," she added.