British Columbia has released its second annual Pay Transparency Report, highlighting modest but notable reductions in the gender pay gap across several key sectors.
According to the report, significant improvements were observed in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, where the gender pay gap decreased from 45% in 2023 to 36% in 2024. The mining, quarrying, and oil-and-gas extraction sector also saw improvement, shrinking the gap from 24% to 17%. In wholesale trade, the gap narrowed from 18% to 11%.
Young women holding post-secondary trade certificates and diplomas experienced a considerable reduction in the pay gap, dropping from 21% in 2017 to just 8% by 2024.
These findings align with the province’s objective to reduce the overall gender pay gap, currently estimated at 15%. Continued positive trends are anticipated based on this progress.
The Pay Transparency Act, enacted in May 2023, requires all B.C. employers to disclose salary information in publicly posted job listings. In 2024, compliance was strong, with 85% of B.C. job postings providing pay details compared to just 52% elsewhere in Canada, according to data from job-search platform Indeed.
Employers face phased deadlines for transparency reporting, starting with companies employing 1,000 or more workers required to submit reports by Nov. 1, 2024. Businesses with 300 or more employees must report by Nov. 1, 2025, and those with 50 or more employees by Nov. 1, 2026.
An online tool has been developed to simplify reporting for employers.
