Workplace salary survey – facts and experience . Helsinki, 2006. 46 pp. (Reports of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland, ISSN 2136-2115; 2008:25)
ISBN 978-952-00-2620-2 (pb.), ISBN 978-952-00-2621-9 (PDF)

A salary survey is part of the gender equality assessment used for analysing the gender equality situation in the workplace. The gender equality assessment makes it possible to select appropriate measures in the gender equality plan to promote gender equality in the workplace. The purpose of the salary survey is to study how the principle of equal pay is realised in the workplace. According to the Act on Equality between Women and Men, the pay for the performance of the same work or work of equal value must be the same regardless of gender.

The equality assessment must contain, at minimum, a survey of the gendered division of work and a salary survey. The survey of the gendered division of work indicates which tasks in the workplace are female- and which are male-dominated. Included as part of the salary survey, the survey of the grade of jobs performed by women and men indicates the competence grades of the jobs women and men are engaged in; the survey of the pay of women and men and the differences between them , on the other hand, indicates the average pay and differences in the pay of women and men in each job grade and as a whole. In addition to these surveys, it is also recommended to collect other statistics facilitating gender equality planning when preparing a gender equality assessment, such as those related to recruitment, participation in training, and the use of fixed-term employment and family leaves.

The Putting gender equality planning into practice project 2007–2008 aims at promoting gender equality planning as stipulated under the Act on Equality between Women and Men, in particular the preparation of workplace salary surveys both in the public and the private sectors. The present publication draws from the experience gained in workplace training sessions arranged as part of the project. Training sessions were held at 70 different workplaces, as well as for occupational health and safety authorities.

The key section of the publication details for which purpose and how each of the surveys is to be used. It provides a review of a set of questions that can be used for analysing the data presented in table format and to discuss the results. The publication presents examples through which the realisation of the principle of equal pay at one’s own workplace can be assessed and the measures to be included in the gender equality plan can be prepared. The publication also discusses some practical challenges encountered at workplaces, along with questions and representative examples.

In addition, the report describes how the execution of a salary survey and the preparation of a gender equality plan are communicated to the workplace community. Practical tips are also provided on how and to whom the salary tables should be presented at the collection, analysis and presentation stages, as the personal salary information of any specific individual must not be disclosed during the course of the salary survey.

Key words: salary survey, equality, equality plan