‘For organizations to succeed in attracting and retaining the very best workers, they will need to be transparent and take proactive steps
A large pay gap persists between men and women in Canada, according to a survey released by ADP Canada.
Based on self-reported numbers, the survey found that women earned an average pre-tax salary of $51,352 in 2019, while men reported an average pre-tax salary of $67,704. This represents a gap of 24 per cent, says ADP.
“A substantial compensation gap persists between men and women in Canada — a gap that doesn’t entail salary alone,” says Natalka Haras, ADP Canada legal counsel. “The workforce of tomorrow is aware today, to look for gender biases in companies’ practices and policies. For organizations to succeed in attracting and retaining the very best of workers, they will need to be transparent and take the proactive steps required to achieve pay equity and equality.”
In looking at bonuses or profit sharing, men received more than double the amount that women received. In 2019, men received an average of $7,646 in additional compensation, while women received $3,250. This marked a 25-per-cent increase for men and a 17-per-cent decrease for women, when compared to 2018, found the survey.
Despite the gap, many respondents felt their organization was acknowledging the bias and prioritizing pay equality, says ADP. Sixty-eight per cent of working Canadians believe pay equality is a priority for the management of their workplace. However, 79 per cent of men believe their workplace compensates women and men equally, compared to 67 per cent of women.
This sentiment was echoed when asked if Canada will achieve pay equality during their careers: men were more optimistic (53 per cent versus 40 per cent of women), found the survey of 755 workers. But another study found that in Canada the pay gap will not be gone until almost 100 years from now.
