The Government of Jersey has published the Gender Pay Gap figures for 2022, outlining the difference between the average gross hourly earnings between all men and women in the public service.
The report includes all public employees, both in ministerial departments and the wider public sector.
In line with the United Kingdom, the Government of Jersey committed in 2019 to publish data on the gender pay gap, to ensure the States Employment Board is an inclusive employer offering equal opportunities to its diverse workforce.
The Gender Pay Gap 2022 report compared hourly rates of pay on 30th June 2021 and 30th June 2022, in two measurements. The most accurate figure is the median measurement, which shows the gender pay gap in 2022 was 15% – a 2.6% increase from 2021.
Whilst there was an increase in the overall gender pay gap in 2022, the pay gap reduced significantly in some areas – a reflection of efforts made to address the gap. Those efforts include:
- Revised family-friendly policies to increase the amount of paid time off for parents
- Flexible working guidelines
- Talent programmes including apprenticeship schemes
- Recruitment strategies
The gender pay gap shows the difference between the average earnings of men and women. which means It is not a measure of the difference in pay between men and women doing the same job.
The Government of Jersey workforce covers multiple public sector organisations, some of which tend to attract one gender more than the other. This, along with the fact that it is more common for women to take a career break or reduce working hours to care for children and relatives, means the gender pay gap is an inherited issue.
Nevertheless, the changes in employment policies and the Government’s ‘Our People’ strategy are in place to help address the gender pay gap in the public service.
Previous Gender Pay Gap reports were calculated using the hourly pay of staff. From 2021 this changed to using the ordinary hourly pay to follow UK Government methodology. This pay includes basic pay along with standby, shift pay and any supplements. It does not include pay associated with overtime. As a result, data from 2021 and 2022 will not be comparable to the 2020 and 2019 reports.
Public sector employees in Jersey are paid equally for the same roles within pay groups, regardless of gender. Current public sector pay scales can be accessed here. Salaries are paid according to the grade of a job irrespective of gender.
Click here to read the report.
The Chief Minister, Deputy Kristina Moore (pictured), said: “The publication of the Gender Pay Gap report meets our ongoing commitment to provide gender pay gap figures for the whole public service in Jersey and drive equality throughout the organisation, ensuring we are an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce reflecting the people of Jersey, who we serve.
“We are committed to delivering equal opportunities and protecting our employees against discrimination. The information contained in the report provides us with evidence to continue and strengthen our existing efforts to further reduce the gap in line with the commitments in our People Strategy.
“This is the first Council of Ministers to have an equal balance of men and women. We serve in a States Assembly with the largest female representation in Jersey’s history. The States Employment Board is now constituted of three women and two men. We will continue to drive forward our determined commitment for achieving equality throughout the public sector.”
