Earnings have risen fastest among the lowest paid owing to the introduction of higher minimum wage levels.
A 6.2% rise for the lowest paid UK workers meant pay inequality narrowed between April 2015 and early April 2016, the figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate.
The pay gap between men and women has also shrunk slightly, it said.
Pay overall rose at its joint highest rate since the financial crisis, driven by wage rises in the private sector.