British Columbia has launched an online reporting tool aimed at helping employers efficiently prepare pay transparency reports, as mandated by the B.C. Pay Transparency Act, which became law on May 11, 2023.
The tool enables employers to upload anonymized data regarding employees’ gender and pay. This data is then used to generate automated reports.
These reports are part of a phased requirement for B.C. employers to disclose information about gender pay gaps, with the goal of increasing wage transparency and addressing pay disparities.
Implementation timelines
The implementation timeline for this requirement is as follows:
- By November 1, 2023: The B.C. Public Service Agency and the six largest Crown corporations (ICBC, BC Hydro, WorkSafeBC, BC Housing, BC Lottery Corporation, and BC Transit) must comply.
- By November 1, 2024: All employers with 1,000 or more employees must prepare and post their reports.
- By November 1, 2025: This requirement will extend to employers with 300 or more employees.
- By November 1, 2026: All employers with 50 or more employees will need to comply.
Posting salary, wage information in job ads
In addition, as of last year, all employers in B.C. are required to include salary or wage information in all publicly posted job advertisements.
According to the job-posting website Indeed, this has led to a significant increase in the availability of wage information. By February 2024, 49% of job postings on the Canada-wide website included pay details, whereas job postings in B.C. featuring pay details have increased to 76%.
The provincial government is continuing its efforts to support employers in meeting these new requirements. These efforts include working closely with businesses to enhance compliance and transparency.
Pay transparency report
Drawing on data from Statistics Canada and pay transparency reports submitted by employers last year, the province has published its first annual pay transparency report. This report provides an overview of the gender pay gap in B.C., broken down by sector, employment type, and various intersectional identities such as Indigeneity, race, ethnicity, newcomer status, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The 2023 report revealed that women in B.C. earned 17% less than men based on median hourly wages. The wage gap is even more pronounced for Indigenous, racialized, and newcomer women.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2023, racialized women earned a median of 76 cents for every dollar earned by men, Indigenous women earned 80 cents, and newcomer women earned 81 cents.
For more information about the pay transparency tool, visit https://paytransparency.fin.gov.bc.ca/login
