New Zealand government to make companies publish gender pay gap data

The Labour government in New Zealand said on Friday (August 11) that it plans to make it compulsory for large companies to publish gender pay gap data. The step has been taken in an effort to ensure that woman in the country get equal pay as that of men.

The government is due to face election in October this year. Currently, the Labour government is trailing in opinion polls. The elections will take place on October 14. In order for the gender pay gap policy to be legislated, the government will need re-election or gain bipartisan support after the polls.

The government has said that it initially plans to require 900 public sector companies to report their gender pay gap. These companies employ more than 250 employees each. After four years, the government plans to make the rule compulsory for all companies that have more than 100 workers in their employment.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

“Countries we compare ourselves to including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom have already successfully introduced gender pay gap reporting. We need to ensure we’re staying in line with international standards,” said Minister for Women Jan Tinetti.

“The reality is that women have different experiences in the workplace than men, and change is needed. Requiring companies to publish their gender pay gap will encourage them to address the drivers of those gaps and increase transparency for workers,” she added.

According to the data from New Zealand's Public Service Commission, the gender pay gap in the public service was 7.7 per cent as of June 30.

The governing Labour Party is currently lagging in opinion polls. A poll by the Taxpayers’ Union and Curia Market Research released on Thursday finds that the centre-right parties of National and ACT will have enough support to form a government.

CNN quoted a 2021 household survey done by New Zealand government and said that for each dollara non-ethnic New Zealander male professional earned, his female counterpart earned 89 cents. The inequality is more in certain ethnic minorities. In case of ethnic Maori population, the women earned 81 cents to the dollar a man earned. In Pasifika population, women on an average earned 75 cents as compared to a dollar a man for the same community earned.

The New Zealand government is reportedly going to consult the public on the legislation. It hopes to seek feedback on reporting pay gaps in employees from ethnic communities.

According to CNN, the legislation is yet to be drafted. Considering there are only three weeks of parliament session remaining until general election in October, it is likely that a new government will have to take decision on implementation of the provisions.

(With inputs from agencies)

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE