Council of Minsters committed to tackling gender pay gap

08 March 2023

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The Council of Ministers is committed to tackling issues of gender pay as a matter of urgency. 

A recent meeting of the Gender Pay Gap Review Panel highlighted that a significant number of recommendations had been completed and a number are in progress. Completed recommendations include: 

• Better use of administrative data to publish experimental all-economy gender pay gap data for Jersey
  
• Introduced family friendly legislation and encouraged private sector businesses to supplement these with supportive policies and practices. The public sector has sought to act as a role model in implementing these reforms
• Actively encouraging awareness of flexible working and continuing to promote greater access through internal mechanisms via its Flex Positive policy
  

The Council of Ministers is committed to publishing the Island-wide gender pay gap data on an annual basis and will continue dialogue with business groups to understand how to encourage companies to adopt their own gender pay gap analysis voluntarily. Ministers will also discuss with business groups how a mandatory requirement might work. 

In the interim, many organisations in the Private Sector are already supplementing the family friendly employment laws introduced by the Government, with their own policies to address gender inequality at the recruitment and talent development phases.

Deputy Louise Doublet said: “The Government of Jersey is committed to progressing the areas of gender pay that require our immediate attention and plans are in place to continue closing the gap. Although international comparisons show that the Jersey pay gap is lower than the OECD average, and lower than the UK, the Council of Ministers does not believe it is acceptable for Jersey to have a gap of that size, or any size.” 

The Chief Minister, Deputy Kristina Moore, recently delegated responsibility for equality, diversity and inclusion to the Minister for Home Affairs, Deputy Helen Miles and Deputies Louise Doublet and Hilary Jeune. As a result, work to address the gender pay gap n Jersey will be part of the wider Ministerial Delivery Plans and prioritised accordingly.