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Gender pay gaps at some of Australia’s largest employers have been published for the first time in a bid to increase transparency and equality in the workplace.
Employers are being warned that ignoring gender pay gaps within their organizations will be a risk, as pay data from thousands of companies becomes public for the first time.
The data, published by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), has been broken down by industry into base salaries and total pay, including pensions, overtime and bonuses.
It shows that 90 percent or more of employers in the mining, electrical, water and waste services, and financial and insurance services industries have a gender pay gap that favors men.
More than 80 percent of those employers have a gap greater than 9.1 percent. The national average is 21.7 percent, which is equivalent to women earning $26,393 less than men per year.
There is also a link between more women in leadership positions and lower pay discrepancies, while employers with gender balance in management positions were 50 per cent more likely to have a neutral pay gap.
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin reported median pay gaps of 37 per cent, 43.7 per cent and 41.7 per cent. (AP PHOTO)
Australian airlines including Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin reported an average pay gap of 37 per cent, 43.7 per cent and 41.7 per cent respectively.
Qantas Group chief people officer Catherine Walsh said the data did not mean women were paid less than men for doing the same jobs.
Salary differences between men and women are made public for the first time
Rather, there was a significant underrepresentation of women in higher-paying roles, such as pilots and engineers, jobs that the airline was working to encourage more women to pursue.
“The years of training required for these roles means that improving the gender balance in these work groups will take time,” Ms Walsh said.
Banks also reported significant pay gaps in favor of men, including 18.8 per cent at NAB, 28.5 per cent at Westpac and 29.9 per cent at Commonwealth Bank.
A CBA spokesperson said women represented 54 per cent of the bank’s local workforce and 44 per cent of leadership roles.
But 71 percent of operational and customer service positions, which typically have lower salaries, were held by women.
“The CBA median pay gap reflects many factors that influence the gender pay gap more broadly, including the types of roles held by women, the seniority of those roles and the composition of the workforce,” the spokesperson said. .
WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said the data release, made possible by a legislative reform passed in 2023, was an important step forward in understanding gender equality in Australian workplaces.
“Transparency and accountability are really beneficial for employees, the community and the nation as a whole because gender equality is beneficial at all those levels,” she said.
“(Pay gap reporting) is something that has happened in other countries with very positive results and is a useful step on the path to equality.”
While there was no legal requirement for organizations to reduce pay gaps within their organisation, Wooldridge said employers who did not act on the data would be at a disadvantage.
“Employers can choose how they respond in relation to the release of this information, we are not requiring them to do anything,” he said.
‘But I believe that if they do not act on gender equality, they do so at their own risk.
“Employers need to understand that this information can really influence the decisions of their future workforce.”