New data reveals men earn more than women in public sector but gender pay gap narrower than private employers

A new report has laid bare shocking statistics about the gender pay gap in Australia’s public sector – and why it needs to change.

A bombshell report on Australia’s public sector has exposed a shocking gap between how much men are earning compared to women.

The report, released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), shows men earn on average $8200 more than women who work across Commonwealth government agencies, departments and businesses.

For every $1 a man earned, a woman made 94 cents.

The report found 45 per cent of public sector employers have a median pay gap within five per cent of the target range, compared to 31 per cent of private sector employers.

A similar report released in March found men earned on average$28,425 more than women in the private sector.

The report found 45 per cent of public sector employers have a median pay gap within five per cent of the target range, compared to 31 per cent of private sector employers. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Public sector employers include Australia Post, the ABC, SBS, Australian Federal Police, NBN, Reserve Bank, CSIRO, Snowy Hydro, Red Energy as well as Federal Government departments and agencies.

Half of public sector employers have a median total remuneration gender pay gap lower than 4.8 per cent, compared to 8.9 per cent in the private sector.

WGEA chief executive officer Mary Wooldridge said the results showed progress could be achieved when employers addressed gender equality.

“The Commonwealth public sector has achieved gender-balance in the composition of the workforce, at managerial level and in the upper quartile of remuneration,” she said.

“This is a critical driver of the lower gender pay gaps reported today.”

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Ms Wooldridge said the results also showed employers were taking action to improve equality in their workplaces, with 51 per cent of employers improving their median total remuneration gender pay gap in the past year.

“Pleasingly we have also seen large rises in the number of employers conducting a gender pay gap analysis, acting on the results and consulting with employees to understand their experience at work,” she said.

“These actions are crucial steps to help employers gain greater understanding of the drivers of their individual gender pay gaps and to implement relevant and evidence-informed actions to address them.”

Men accounted for 11 per cent of all carers leave taken across the public sector, and about half of employers still had a gender pay gap that favoured male workers highlighting a need for more improvements. Picture: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Ms Wooldridge said while progress had been made there were some areas that needed improvement with only 11 per cent of men accounting for all carers leave taken, and 49 per cent of employers having a gender pay gap that favoured men.

“Workplace gender equality benefits everyone, so it is important that barriers for men are also addressed,” Ms Wooldridge said.

“With changes in access to parental leave now enacted, Commonwealth public sector employers need to work deliberately and strategically to drive cultural change that removes real or perceived penalties for taking time out for caring roles and ensure more men have confidence to take primary carer’s leave.”

Originally published as New data reveals men earn more than women in public sector but gender pay gap narrower than private employers