Starting yesterday, all BC employers must include all pay information on public job postings. This is just oneof the new requirements under the provinces’ Pay Transparency Act, which was passed into law earlier this year in order to address the pay gap between men and women. This act applies to all workplaces, with more of a noticeable impact on non-unionized workplaces.
Under this new act, employers will also no longer be allowed to ask prospective employees how much their current salary is, AND they can no longer punish employees who disclose their salary to co-workers or to others who are applying for jobs. This is some good news for those who are on the job hunt!
And starting today, all employers with 1,000 employees or more will have to publicly post reports about their gender pay gap, with the same requirement applying to employers with 300 employees or more starting next year on November 1st.
Gender pay gap: What is it and what do with it to move forward?
Just in case you haven’t heard of what the Gender Pay Gap is, here is a quick recap. You might have also heard of the term Gender Wage Gap buzzing around, which is essentially the same thing but slightly different.
And if you haven’t already picked up what the name is referencing, the Gender Pay Gap is a term that refers to difference between the earnings of men and women. AND, even in today’s post-Me Too Movement work environment, it’s still an issue within the work force.
Why does this matter?
So, it begs to question: Why is BC implementing these new requirements?
According to Statistics Canada, women in BC are paid 17% less than men, and the pay gap is even wider for those who are Indigenous, migrant, visible minorities as well as women with disabilities.
Based on last year’s stats, the average hourly wage for men was $35.50. Indigenous men earned an average of $31.03, whereas Indigenous women earned an average of $26.74 an hour. Immigrant men earned an average of $36.42 compared to $28.78 an hour for immigrant women.
How will this change things?
So, how will these new Pay Transparency Laws work to combat the gender pay gap?
Look, these new requirements are not the magic fix for the wage gap, BUT they are the first step towards pay equity and employment equity laws in the province, which we currently don’t have.
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