Bosses will have earnt more by close of play today than their employees will earn in a whole year.

According to research from the High Pay Centre (HPC) think tank, the median FTSE 100 chief executive’s earnings for 2021 will surpass the median annual wage for a full-time worker in the UK by around 5:30 pm on Wednesday 6 January.

The calculations are based on the think tank’s previous analysis of chief executive pay disclosures in companies annual reports, combined with government statistics showing pay levels across the UK economy.

Chief executive pay levels have remained essentially flat in the past year,...