Across England and Wales the average pre-tax salary is £24,191 with an average house price of £162,629 - a ratio of almost 7:1.
In Scotland, the average house price is £126,999 and average gross salary is £24,154 - a multiple of just over 5:1.
Clerical staff face the biggest squeeze, with house prices standing at almost ten times pre-tax salary. However, this represents a fall since the peak 12:1 ratio in 2007, just prior to the recession. Professionals are also feeling the pinch, as prices hit 5.4 times salary - up from 3.6 times in 2000.
Stuart McMillan, reward information consultant at Hay Group, said: "With house prices outstripping salaries by such huge margins, the profile of a first-time buyer is changing. Workers must now climb even further up the pay scale before they can afford to buy their first home."
For the average employee, and typical first time buyer, saving for a deposit is prohibitively expensive, the report shows. In London, the average house price is £344,324 and average wage stands at £38,470 - a ratio of 9:1.
Even by saving 10% of pre-tax income, it would take the average worker 18 years to raise a 20% down payment* - the lengthiest period in the whole of England, Wales and Scotland.
The shortest saving time is the North East of England, where the average employee is paid £22,829 and the average house price stands at £104,410 - a ratio of almost 5:1.
However, by saving 10% of gross salary, it would still take a first time buyer nine years to put down a deposit.
The average period for England and Wales is 13 years, based on an average house price of £162,629 and average salary of £24,191. This is an average ratio of almost 7:1.
McMillan added: "For the average employee, and first-time buyers in particular, saving such a large portion of salary already eroded by inflation is a significant challenge." "The news that it can take 18 years for some employees to raise a deposit will make depressing reading.
"As our PayNet UK Salary Tracker demonstrates, average mortgage repayments are well beyond a feasible percentage of annual pre-tax salary for many employees.
"Costs on all sides are rising, from food to fuel and travel, and the prospect of spending some 80% of salary on mortgage payments month-by-month is simply unrealistic.
"The inflationary pressures being felt by employees across the UK will bring salary increases into even sharper focus in the coming months. Where reward budgets remain limited - notably in the public sector, but also within many parts of the private sector - the effective distribution of the salary budget will be critical for employers and employees alike."
