Deloitte and EY partners push gender pay gaps wider
Deloitte and EY today updated their gender pay gap data to include partners’ salaries for the first time, in figures which shed light on a bigger difference in earnings between men and women than previously thought.
Both of the “Big Four” accountants have bigger gaps when partners’ earnings are factored in, reflecting the greater number of men in better paid senior positions.
Deloitte’s gender earnings gap is 43.2 per cent when partners’ earnings are factored in alongside employees. Although this is not directly comparable to the official figures, the mean gender pay gap which the firm reported on the government’s website was 17 per cent.
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EY’s mean gender pay gap overall was 38.1 per cent, compared to the official 19.7 per cent gap according to legislation.
Emma Codd, managing partner for talent at Deloitte UK, said the figures “serve as a stark reminder that we don’t have enough women in senior roles – this is not about unequal pay but the shape of our firm.”
The move came after concerns that the gender pay gap data which is now mandated by the government does not include partners, as they are not technically employees of a company.
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PwC will publish its gender pay gap data including partners in the “next few days”, a spokesperson said. A KPMG spokesperson said it plans to publish the data, but is not in a position to release it.
David Sproul, chief executive of Deloitte UK, said the firm is a “vocal advocate”of the reporting and committed to publishing both measures annually in the future.
“We are firmly committed to transparency and achieving consistency in gender pay reporting standards,” he said. “Our role in society means we have a responsibility to lead on critical issues such as inclusion and diversity.”
Steve Varley, the chair of EY UK, said publishing the partner figures was “another step forward to drive even greater transparency and to help focus minds on improving diversity within the profession”.
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