The public sector equality gender pay gap has become a little smaller, shrinking by 0.6 per cent between 2020 and 2021 according the Australian Public Service Commission’s (APSC) latest remuneration report.
Releasing the Australian Public Service Remuneration Report 2021, Australian Public Service Commissioner Peter Woolcott said the Report presented a summary of remuneration paid to APS employees under the Public Service Act 1999 as at 31 December 2021.
Mr Woolcott said the difference in overall average remuneration between genders decreased from 6.6 per cent in 2020 to six per cent in 2021.
“A continuing increase in female representation at most senior classifications has influenced this change,” Mr Woolcott said.
“The weighted median Base Salary increase across the APS was three per cent,” he said.
“This reflects a weighted median increase of three per cent for non-Senior Executive Service (SES) employees and 4.2 per cent for SES employees.”
Mr Woolcott said the weighted median Total Reward increase was 2.7 per cent for non-SES employees and 2.1 per cent for SES employees.
He said the reporting of performance bonuses for 2021 was changed to exclude fixed payments made to employees at the top of their salary scale in lieu of increment progression.
He said the changes dramatically reduced the number of non-SES performance bonuses reported, with 1,100, or 0.8 per cent of APS employees paid a performance bonus.
“The number of SES performance bonuses reported remained relatively stable at 115, or four per cent of SES employees (compared to 4.2 per cent in 2020),” The APS Commissioner said.
Mr Woolcott said the Report also identified a continued trend to repackage motor vehicle related allowances into SES Base Salaries in some Agencies, with the proportion of SES employees paid a motor vehicle related allowance declining by over 10 per cent in 2021.
The APSC’s 2021 Renumeration Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
