Just one in five Australian employers have no gender pay gap

Just 1 in 5 (21%) Australian employers have an average gender pay gap in the target range of -5% and +5%, according to new results released today by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). But progress to end the gender pay gap is happening, with more than half (56%) of employers having improved their gender pay gap in the last 12 months.

The second publication of employer gender pay gaps provides new, more detailed insights into workplace gender equality for more than 5.3 million Australians. This year WGEA has published the results for 7,800 individual employers and 1,700 corporate groups. 

This expansion means that Australians working for a company that’s part of a bigger corporate group can access both the group and individual employer’s gender pay gap for the first time. This enhances the understanding of women and men’s experience in Australian workplaces and provides employers with deeper insights to enable more targeted, evidence-informed action to address and correct differences. 

WGEA has also published an analysis of the results in the Employer Gender Pay Gaps Report. In the 2023-24 gender pay gap results, nearly 3 in 4 (72%) of all employers have a gender pay gap in favour of men. High-paying employers are the most likely to have a gender pay gap in favour of men and a larger gender pay gap. 

WGEA has published employer’s average gender pay gaps, as well as results for the median. These measures can provide important indications of the different drivers of an employer’s gender pay gap. 

WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge said it was encouraging that an analysis of both indicators shows that more than 1,100 employers (15%) are already in the target range of +/-5% for both measures. “Each employer has a unique set of circumstances that impacts the size of their gender pay gap,” Ms Wooldridge said. 

“Where an employer’s gender pay gap is beyond the target range of +/-5%, it indicates one gender is more likely to be over-represented in higher paying roles compared to the other. This can be a sign of structural or cultural differences for one gender within an occupation, organisation, or broader industry. 

“For employers that haven’t made progress, it’s time to ask why – dig into the data to find out what’s causing any gender differences and use evidence-based solutions to address them. 

“The new results, which use information reported by employers covering the time period immediately leading up to WGEA’s first release of gender pay gaps, suggests anticipation of publication generated positive flow on effects.” 

WGEA’s analysis shows 56% of employers reduced their gender pay gap in the last year. There was also a significant increase in employers conducting a gender pay gap analysis on their pay and composition to find out what’s driving their gaps and consultation with employees rose significantly. “It’s promising to see the big increase in the number of employers working to understand what is driving their gender pay gap, beyond unequal pay,” Ms Wooldridge said.