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This report highlights the key results from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency's 2014-15 reporting data. It is the second report in the series and contains the first comprehensive 'time-series' data on the status of gender equality in Australian workplaces. The dataset covers 12,000 employers, over four million employees and 4,670 reports. Findings include: a growing numbers of employers are taking action to support gender equality in their own workplaces; there are fewer men in full-time permanent positions and more men in contract and casual positions; while the most senior levels of management are heavily male-dominated, the proportion of women in management has grown; some industries still have persistently high gender pay gaps, but most have improved; and management gender pay gaps are high, but inching downward. Show less

Each year the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) publishes the annual key findings from the reporting data in the WGEA Gender Equality Scorecard. The Scorecard includes the latest figures on the gender pay gap, industry comparisons, women's workforce participation, women's representation in leadership and emerging trends in employer action. WGEA's dataset is based on reports submitted in accordance with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 for the reporting period 1 April to 31 March. Under the Act, non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees must submit their gender equality metrics to WGEA annually.

This year marks the fifth year of reporting on data collected from Australian employers in the private sector. The results of our latest dataset emphasise the importance of measuring workplace gender equality. Our data shows that change is happening in Australian workplaces. In some areas, it is happening quickly. In others, it is far too slow. The gender pay gap continued its downward trend, however, men still out-earn women, on average, by 21.3 per cent. Pay gaps persist in every industry, occupation and manager category. Our data also shows clear evidence that employer action has delivered real results. There were increases in the number of employers analysing their remuneration data for pay gaps and embracing policies or strategies to improve gender equality in areas such as succession planning, talent identification, retention, promotions and linking manager KPIs to gender equality outcomes. The strong pipeline of women into management has strengthened and over seven in ten employers now have either a policy or strategy in place to support gender equality or promote flexible work. Last year, our data identified an 'action gap'. Organisations have policies and strategies in place, but they are not making managers accountable for embedding them in their workplaces. Regrettably, this gap has not narrowed. Although more employers are analysing their pay data, over 40 per cent of those who did took no action. There are a few other problem areas. Access to parental leave has ground to a halt. Although the proportion of women in management has increased, most senior roles, especially at the CEO level, are still dominated by men. Again this year, there is virtually no improvement in the number of women around Australia's boardroom tables. Just over 35 per cent of the boards and governing bodies in our dataset have no female members.

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Australia's economic recovery depends on utilising the skills and experience of a diverse, gender-balanced workforce. Women and men must have an equal opportunity to re-engage and participate in the workforce. Employers have an important role to play to make this happen by ensuring the momentum towards gender equality is sustained.

This year's data paints a comprehensive picture of private sector employment as it was just prior to the imposition of [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 restrictions. It provides an important baseline for comparison to the 2020-21 dataset, which will capture the impact of COVID-19 on workplace gender equality. This year, our data shows that the gender pay gap continued to close, with the total remuneration gap dropping by 0.7 percentage points to 20.1 per cent. Access to flexible work and paid parental leave for employees has increased. For the first time since we started collecting data, over 50 per cent of employers now offer paid parental leave to their staff. However, there has been a worrying drop of 6.1 percentage points in employers taking action on closing their pay gaps. Sadly, only 54.4 per cent of employers who did a gender pay gap analysis took action to close the gaps. This trend must not continue. Experience tells us that when employers measure their data, identify their problem areas and take action to address it, the pay gap closes. Research shows that actions to close pay gaps are three times more effective when the results are reported to the executive or Board.

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Lifting female workforce participation and closing the gap in earnings between women and men is a significant national productivity imperative. At an organisational level, employers increasingly recognise their future growth depends on their ability to maximise the full potential of the best female and male talent. Non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) under six gender equality indicators (GEIs), generating a standardised performance assessment that enables comparisons across industries and organisation sizes. By analysing this dataset, WGEA is able to benchmark both the representation of women in the leadership pipeline and across occupational categories, and the pay gap that exists within industries, management levels and occupational categories. It also enables a better understanding of the practices Australian employers have in place to improve their gender equality performance. Key findings across industry are that: the representation of women steadily declines when moving up the management levels, with women comprising only 26.1 per cent of key management personnel (KMP) positions, and 17.3 per cent of CEO positions; less than one in 10 (8.8 per cent) organisations have set a target to lift the number of women around the boardroom table despite only 23.7 per cent of directorships being held by women, and just 12.0 per cent of chairs being women; only 13.6 per cent of employers have a strategy for flexible working and only 13.2 per cent of employers have a strategy to support employees with family or caring responsibilities; less than one in four employers have conducted a gender remuneration gap analysis to check for potential pay equity issues; few employers are taking a strategic whole-of-enterprise approach to gender equality; and only 7.1 per cent of employers have a standalone overall gender equality strategy. Show less

Each year the Workplace Gender Equality Agency ('WGEA') publishes the annual key findings from the reporting data in the WGEA Gender Equality Scorecard. The Scorecard includes the latest figures on the gender pay gap, industry comparisons, women's workforce participation, women's representation in leadership and emerging trends in employer action. WGEA's dataset is based on reports submitted in accordance with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 for the reporting period 1 April to 31 March.

During 2020-21, the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID pandemic has impacted workforces and workplaces in Australia, with changes to working conditions, employment patterns as well as a focus on health and wellbeing policies. This report captures data from the aftermath of the first wave of COVID in 2020, up to the time just before the second wave hit in mid-2021. During this time there were signs of economic and employment recovery in all states with the exception of Victoria. The 2020-21 data shows that industries and occupations, as well as working patterns, continue to be highly gender-segregated. Women bore some of the greatest impacts during the pandemic, with high concentrations of women in industries such as retail. Front-line employees - teachers, nurses, and shop assistants - are predominantly women accounting for approximately 60 per cent of these workforces. Women also dominate precarious employment, comprising 57 per cent of the casual workforce.

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The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Gender Equality Scorecard provides an annual update on the state of workplace gender equality in Australia. It features the data and insights from WGEA's annual Employer Census of private sector employers with 100 or more employees. The 2022-23 WGEA Employer Census was the largest yet - capturing data from 5,135 employer reporting groups, covering 4,822,194 employees. Collecting data on employee composition and pay, as well as workplace policies and practices, the WGEA Employer Census delivers the most comprehensive dataset on workplace gender equality in the world. The Gender Equality Scorecard sets out a unique record of progress on workplace gender equality. It highlights what employers have achieved, draws attention to areas requiring employer focus, improvement, and action, and creates a historical record to build on over time.

The WGEA is an Australian Government agency established by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. Under the Act, WGEA is charged with promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. The Act requires employers with 100 or more employees to report to WGEA annually against six gender equality indicators (GEI). The six gender equality indicators are: GEI 1: gender composition of the workforce; GEI 2: gender composition of governing bodies of relevant employers; GEI 3: equal remuneration between women and men; GEI 4: availability and utility of employment terms, conditions and practices relating to flexible working arrangements for employees and to working arrangements supporting employees with family or caring responsibilities; GEI 5: consultation with employees on issues concerning gender equality in the workplace; and GEI 6: sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination.

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This year marks 50 years since the landmark 1969 equal pay decision that first saw Australian women win the right to be paid the same as men for doing the same work, or work of equal or comparable value. In the five decades since this momentous decision, Australia's female workforce participation rate has reached record levels. Yet the gender pay gap remains a stubborn feature of our economy. This year, our data shows the gender pay gap continued to decline, which is good news. But men still out-earn women, on average, by 20.8 per cent. Pay gaps persist across every industry, occupation and manager category. A drop of only 0.5 percentage points is slow progress by anyone's measure. In our sixth year of reporting on data collected from Australian employers, our latest dataset demonstrates the importance of continuing to measure gender equality in Australian workplaces. Although change is happening in some key areas, more effort needs to be made in others. This 2019 gender equality scorecard offers a snapshot of our 2018-19 data.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

Each year the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) publishes the annual key findings from the reporting data in the WGEA Gender Equality Scorecard. The Scorecard includes the latest figures on the gender pay gap, industry comparisons, women's workforce participation, women's representation in leadership and emerging trends in employer action. WGEA's dataset is based on reports submitted in accordance with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 for the reporting period 1 April to 31 March. Under the Act, non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees must submit their gender equality metrics to WGEA annually.

Measuring progress across the Agency's gender equality dataset can be frustratingly slow - a percentage point here, half a percentage point there. But in our fourth year of reporting on data collected from Australian employers, we have seen a steep change in employer focus on gender equality. More employers than ever are prioritising gender pay equity as a business imperative. Over half of reporting organisations now have formal strategies and policies on remuneration. The proportion of these organisations with specific objectives on gender pay equity has doubled over the last three reporting periods. There has been a substantial increase in employers adopting targeted strategies to support gender equality in areas such as succession planning, retention and promotion. More employers report having key performance indicators for managers linked to gender equality outcomes. Most encouragingly, the data shows a remarkable 10.8 percentage point rise over the past year in the proportion of employers analysing their remuneration data for gender pay gaps. Our gender equality indicators tell us there is much more to be done. While the overall gender pay gap is trending down, men still out-earn women by more than $26,000 on average with pay gaps in every industry and occupation. There has been little change over the three reporting periods in the gender balance of Australia's boardrooms. Men still dominate the faces around these top tables and the data suggests boards are not engaging with gender equality issues. Women are also under-represented in management.

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This report highlights the key results from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency's 2015-16 reporting data. The 2015-16 dataset includes over 12,000 employers, over four million employees and 4,697 reports. Key findings include: women's average full-time base salary across all industries and occupations is 17.7 per cent less than men's and their full-time total remuneration across all industries and occupations is 23.1 per cent less than men's; pay gaps increase with seniority; all industries have a pay gap in favour of men; the most senior roles are heavily male-dominated; while a higher proportion of men are appointed and promoted to manager positions than women, as women currently represent 37.4 per cent of managers, they are being appointed and promoted at a proportionately higher rate than their current representation; and there has been an increase in the proportion of organisations with an overall gender equality policy and/or strategy from 66.2 per cent in 2013-14 to 70.7 per cent in 2015-16. Show less