Chapter 8: Remuneration by gender

Contents

This chapter outlines key remuneration findings by gender [6]. It uses two measures to explore remuneration for female and male employees:

  • The first uses average (mean) Base Salary to calculate the gender pay gap for the APS overall, allowing comparison to the National Gender Pay Gap.
  • The second uses median Base Salary by gender within each classification level to assess differences in remuneration for comparable work value.

APS gender pay gap

The gender pay gap can be an indicator of how the contribution of each gender is valued in a workforce, and as such it is monitored at a national level, and across the APS. The gender pay gap is the difference between male and female employees’ earnings, expressed as a percentage of male earnings. While unequal pay is a potential influence, the gender pay gap is not a measure of the extent to which females and males are paid equally for the same work[7].

The APS gender pay gap calculation method uses average Base Salary of both full-time and part-time employees, with part-time salaries annualised to full-time equivalent earnings. Using Base Salary and an average (or mean) ensures that the APS gender pay gap is comparable to the National Gender Pay Gap. The National Gender Pay Gap uses data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and is one of two gender pay gap methods applied by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.[8]

In 2022, the average Base Salary for males in the APS was $104,668 while the average Base Salary for females was $99,200. This represents a 5.2% gender pay gap for the APS and continues the improvement shown since 2018 (Figure 8.1).

Figure 8.1 Average gender pay gap trends with data table, 2018 to 2022

Figure 8.1: Average gender pay gap from 2018 to 2022 with data table showing average male and female Base Salaries with headcount. Displays average gender pay gap trends from 2018 to 2022. The data table below the figure displays average Base Salary and headcount by gender from 2018 to 2022. Detailed data can be found in the data and tables spreadsheet in the download section of this report.
Female 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Average Base Salary $88,896 $91,016 $92,536 $96,006 $99,200
Headcount 79,860 78,789 81,049 85,446 89,544
Male 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Average Base Salary $96,391 $98,149 $99,082 $102,112 $104,668
Headcount 55,928 54,500 55,622 57,473 59,795

Note:  As the data is annualised, the higher proportion of women working part-time hours is not directly reflected in the APS gender pay gap

Remuneration by gender and classification

The remuneration of males and females within each classification level is a measure which can be used to explore gender differences in remuneration for comparable work value based on the APS Classification Guide and Work Level Standards.

Figure 8.2 shows the differences between male and female median Base Salaries. The majority were within a range of +/-0.5%. A negative value indicates that females in this classification received a higher median Base Salary than males. From 2021 to 2022 the small gaps between female and male median Base Salaries at most senior classifications further decreased.

Figure 8.2 Median Base Salary by gender and classification, 2022

Figure 8.2: Median Base Salary comparison between males and females for each classification in 2022. For APS 5, EL 1, EL 2 and SES 2 levels there was no difference between median male and female Base Salaries For Graduates, males were paid 0.8% higher For APS 1, males were paid 0.2% higher For APS 2, females were paid 1.2% higher For APS 3, females were paid 0.5% higher For APS 4, females were paid 1.1% higher For APS 6, males were paid 0.3% higher For SES 1, males were paid 0.4% higher For SES 3, males were paid 1.3% higher. Detailed data can be found in the data and tables spreadsheet in the download section of this report.

Note: The percentage difference between genders is the difference between male and female median Base Salaries expressed as a percentage of male earnings.

The small gender pay gaps at each level suggest that the overall APS gender pay gap is not due to unequal pay for comparable work, but rather the distribution of females and males across the classification structure.

Analysis conducted by the APSC[9] further supports this, finding that the gender pay gap is primarily driven by the different representation of males and females across classifications, particularly the higher number of females at the APS 3 to APS 5 levels. APSC analysis also suggests it is not a lack of promotions of females that is leading to their overrepresentation at these levels. Future APSC research will investigate other potential factors that may be associated with this pattern, such as the type of work being undertaken at those levels and the locations of those roles.

The graph below illustrates that while there is strong overall representation of females at the Executive and Senior Executive levels, there is a larger proportion of female employees at the more junior levels that results in a lower overall average female Base Salary. This suggests a gap will remain to some extent unless there is more gender balance at these lower classifications.

Figure 8.3 Number of males and females by classification group

Figure 8.3: Number of males and females by classification group. For the SES 1 to SES 3 classifications, there were 1,434 males and 1,564 females For the EL 1 to EL 2 classifications, there were 20,833 males and 25,138 females For the APS 1 to APS 6 classifications, there were 36,609 males and 61,924 females. Detailed data can be found in the data and tables spreadsheet in the download section of this report.

Female representation in the APS

Overall females represent 60% of the APS workforce. Figure 8.3 shows how the proportion of females in each classification has changed over time. The data shows there has been a consistent increase in the proportion of females at higher classification levels (EL 1 and above) since 2018, along with a slight decrease in the proportion of females at lower classifications. This trend is consistent with the narrowing gender pay gap over this time.

Figure 8.4 Females as a percentage of APS population by classification, 2018 and 2022

Figure 8.4: Females as a percentage of APS population by classification, 2018 to 2022. Percent of Females from 2018 to 2022 changed for: Graduates, from 49% to 50% APS 1, from 51% to 46% APS 2, from 62% to 58% APS 3, from 64% to 62% APS 4, from 69% to 68% APS 5, from 61% to 63% APS 6, from 58% to 59% EL 1, from 52% to 56% EL 2, from 46% to 51% SES 1, from 48% to 54% SES 2, from 39% to 48% SES 3, from 45% to 47% Detailed data can be found in the data and tables spreadsheet in the download section of this report.

Individual flexibility arrangements by gender

Table 8.1 shows the headcount and the proportion of employees with an individual flexibility arrangement for each APS classification, by gender. Individual flexibility arrangements are discussed further in Chapter 9.

Table 8.1 Number of employees with an individual flexibility arrangement by classification and gender
 

Classification Gender Headcount Individual flexibility arrangements Percentage of gender with an individual flexibility arrangement
Graduate Female 918 . .
Male 919 1 0.1%
APS 1 Female 126 . .
Male 148 . .
APS 2 Female 1,294 . .
Male 929 2 0.2%
APS 3 Female 7,077 14 0.2%
Male 4,287 26 0.6%
APS 4 Female 17,751 65 0.4%
Male 8,391 63 0.8%
APS 5 Female 13,950 106 0.8%
Male 8,092 91 1.1%
APS 6 Female 21,726 344 1.6%
Male 14,762 361 2.5%
EL 1 Female 17,898 664 3.7%
Male 14,018 713 5.1%
EL2 Female 7,240 780 10.8%
Male 6,815 839 12.3%

Footnotes

[6] Note: APS Remuneration Survey data used within this chapter does not include employees who identify as indeterminate/intersex/unspecified due to these numbers being statistically small.

[7] https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/understanding-statistics/guide-labour-statistics/gender-pay-gap-guide : "Measuring the gender pay gap".

[8] The two gender pay gap methods monitored by Workplace Gender Equality Agency are: • The National Gender Pay Gap, which uses Base Salary data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of Average Weekly Earnings; and • The WGEA Annual Gender Pay Gap, which uses Total Remuneration data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s annual employer census. Source: https://www.wgea.gov.au/pay-and-gender/how-to-calculate-gender-pay-gap - "How to calculate gender pay gap"

[9] See APSC Research Note 03-23 (available at www.apsc.gov.au )

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