Aussie Employer Gender Pay Gaps Will Hit the Internet on February 27

February 27 is going to be an interesting day for Aussies and their bosses, as the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is set to publish the gender pay gaps of Australian employers with 100 employees or more.

If you’re interested to know exactly what that means and how you can find this information for yourself, here’s a quick guide for you.

WGEA employer gender pay gap publishing: What’s happening?

On February 27, 2024, WGEA’s Data Explorer is set to become stacked with insights into how different businesses and industries are performing when it comes to the gender pay gap.

If you’d like to take a look at the data, you’ll be able to visit the Explorer page here (currently, it mostly says ‘coming in 2024’).

What you’ll eventually be able to see, however, includes gender pay gaps as well as gender split and average remuneration per pay quartile, based on reporting from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

WGEA has shared that the publishing of employer gender pay gaps will happen across a series of stages, and the first set – going live on February 27 – will cover median gender pay gaps. The second release of information will include gender pay gaps by median as well as average.

Private sector employers included in this data set will be alerted about their status in advance of the publish date, the WGEA has shared, and employers included in the published data will also have an opportunity to share a statement to offer any context they feel is relevant.

WGEA has confirmed that as public and private sector reporting is different, the first round of public sector gender pay gaps are set to be published in late 2024 or early 2025.

This move is obviously a rather big one in the name of the gender pay gap, but with the gap set at 21.7 per cent for 2023, it’s broadly seen as a necessary one.

On this, the WGEA has shared the below:

“The gender pay gap is the difference in average earnings between women and men in the workforce. It is not to be confused with women and men being paid the same for the same, or comparable, job – this is equal pay.

“Across all industries in Australia, women are earning on average less than men.

“Currently at 21.7%, the gender pay gap in Australia is a persistent and pervasive issue that undermines women’s earnings.”

While the publication of this information doesn’t appear to also consider the pay gap experienced by women of colour specifically, it is seen as an important step in the effort to draw attention to this issue.

Sommer Nisbet, General Manager and Solutions Director at diversity, equity and inclusion consultancy TDC Global, shared a statement on this movement towards more transparency in pay, explaining that she feels it is a positive step.

“There’s been a longstanding taboo around discussing salaries in the workplace. Cultural norms, assumptions about ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ in pay discussions, and the slow alignment of workplaces with principles of equity and inclusivity have all played a part. However, transparency on this front will be instrumental in reducing gender pay gaps,” she said.

“The impending changes to the Workplace Gender Equality Act (WGEA) signify a significant shift in Australia’s workplace culture. For the first time, pay will be out in the open, ushering in a new dawn of transparency that organisations need to prepare for. While this change may seem daunting, businesses must realise that it’s a chance for them to improve, not merely a challenge to overcome.”

We’ll keep you posted on any updates in this space, so keep a keen eye.

Lead Image Credit: WGEA