On Tuesday 27 February 2024, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) released its gender pay gap data for private sector employers with 100 or more employees.

Gender pay gap data is now visible for nearly 5,000 organisations comparing gender pay gaps by industry, by proportion of women in leadership positions, by whether the employer operates in an industry that is male-dominated, female-dominated or mixed-gender, and by the employer’s size.

For the purposes of reporting, WGEA converts part-time and casual salaries into annualized full-time equivalent earnings to accurately determine the gender pay gaps. This is because women are more likely to work in a part-time or casual capacity if they have family responsibilities.

The data released this week does not include the salaries of CEOs, heads of business, casual managers, employees whose positions were made redundant, or employees who identify as non-binary.

WGEA’s Statistics

Of the nearly 5,000 organisations who saw their gender pay gap data released, 61.6% have a gender pay gap that favours men. 8.3% of the organisations have a gender pay gap which favours women. Nearly one-third of employers have a neutral gender pay gap. This is defined by the WGEA as being within 5% of the median gender pay gap. A gender pay gap around the 5% mark allows for standard business fluctuations as well as employee movements but shows that the employer has a focus on gender equality and action is being taken to ensure gender equality is at all levels within the organisation.

Some organisations within the 5% range are:

• Aldi Stores (A Limited Partnership), 5.3%
• Fenner Dunlop Australia, 5.6%
• Intercontinental Hotels Group (Australia), 2.4%
• Universal Store, 2.8%

WGEA’s data shows that the median total remuneration gender pay gap is 19% meaning that the median of what a woman is paid is $18,461 less than the median of what a man is paid. The industries with the largest median total remuneration gender pay gaps are:

• Construction, 31.8%
• Finance and Insurance Services, 26.1%
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, 26.1%
• Information Media and Telecommunications, 24.2%
• Transport, Postal and Warehousing, 20.4%

The industries with the lowest total remuneration gender pay gaps are:

• Accommodation and Food Services, 1.9%
• Public Administration and Safety, 2.3%
• Arts and Recreation Services, 4.6%
• Education and Training, 5.2%
• Administrative and Support Services, 5.5%

The gender pay gap data does not just include data where the pay gaps are in favour of men, there are gender pay gaps in favour of women also.

Readers can view WGEA’s published data here.

If you would like more information on understanding the reporting requirements of businesses, members can access the recording of Business Chamber Queensland’s webinar: Understanding Gender Pay Gap Reforms.