We note that in reports of early November, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), using ABS data, revealed that the national gender pay gap presently stands at 14.6%, the lowest in twenty years. The WGEA noted that the gap had hovered between 15% and 19% over the past two decades.
Pay Equity – Is the Landscape Changing?
As traditional employer / employee relationships evolve, so does the complexity of these relationships and this complexity may foster further triggers of pay disparity.
Equal Pay for work of Equal Value
Given the considerable discussion and public comment in relation to the equality of pay, there is merit in addressing the challenge faced by employers in endeavouring to be fair in rewarding their workforce.
Gender Pay Equivalence
While equal reward for equal work represents a desirable social policy, measuring equality of both inputs (accountability and working conditions) and outputs (the value of experience, competencies and performance) adds complexity which must embrace acceptance of a limited differential favouring either gender.