Julia Gillard’s ascension to the top job in the country has been hailed as a momentous achievement for Australian women. Whatever political persuasion you subscribe to, it’s hard to argue against the symbolism Julia Gillard’s rise represent (at least in the workplace) – that women are men’s equal, are as capable and ought to be rewarded accordingly.

Yet, the reality is a wide gap in pay continue to exist in workplaces across Australia. In fact, the gap between men and women has widen further since 2009. Here’s the latest data from the Equal Pay Day website:   Read more...

It’s a well documented fact that male employees tend to earn more than their female counterparts. Why this anomaly still occurs in 21st century workplaces is a  mystery.

Some interesting results on male and female pay disparity is emerging from the recent study we conducted on high-income executives in Australia. Interestingly, male executives tend to get a pay rise as a result of good performance, while female executives are more likely to get a raise if they change employers or move from one department to another.  Read more...

The graph below from the latest ABS data highlighted two things:

a) We have come a long way in reducing the pay disparity between men and women. Since Nov 1983, average national weekly earnings almost tripled, increasing from $312.60 to $923.40 in May 2009.

b) We have a long way to go before gender pay equality exists. In May 2009, men earn $1115.80 compared to women who average $733.40.

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“At the end of my salary I always have a lot of month left” – loesje.org

The economy is shuttering, salaries are doomed! Wrong, it’s never completely black or white. In fact, very few things in an organisation are more critical, contentious and complex, than the salaries of staff. Varying widely across industries, regions and companies, how salaries behave is hard to understand and unpredictable.

Yet, remuneration is deeply intertwined with recruitment; it is a subject which will continue to define our industry.  Read more...