PwC Romania Analysis: Romania's gender pay gap remains above 20% in 2024

Romania is making progress each year in reducing gender inequalities in the labour market, but the gender pay gap remains above 20% in 2024, according to the "Gender Pay Gap" analysis conducted by PwC Romania, based on data collected in the Paywell 2024 survey.The gap is calculated as the ratio between the average salary of men and that of women. The gap decreased from 21.6% in 2023 and 23.3% in 2022."Gender salary inequality is no longer a new topic in Romania, but it is still treated superficially, without support from analysis and objective data. Our study within medium and large companies in the private sector shows that certain segments still have gaps, some of them significant. The way we measure, in line with the CSRD reporting requirements and the Transparency Directive, reflects the under-representation of women in well-paid professions or positions, which is the result of various human resources practices, as well as social practices (...)," said Oana Munteanu, Director of People & Organization at PwC Romania, as quoted in the press release.The main findings of the study are as follows: women tend to occupy lower-paid jobs than men (75% of female employees are in the lowest-paid quartile, while the percentage in the highest-paid quartile drops to 54%. The study sample consists of 64% women and 36% men, and ideally, the quartile distribution should reflect the sample composition.) Men receive bonuses that are 19% higher than those of women. The largest salary differences are found in the banking sector (30.18%), pharmaceuticals (16.11%) and retail (14.82%), as well as at operator function level (19.2%), while the smallest differences are at the top management level (5.76%). Differences increase with age.According to the research, the smallest pay gaps are found in technology (11.26%), while in industry and BPO, women earn 5.51% and 1.46% more, respectively.The EU Directive on Pay Transparency and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) strengthen the principle of "equal pay for equal work," imposing pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.The study also shows that the gender pay gap in 33 OECD countries is 13.1%.The PayWell 2024 survey, conducted by PwC Romania, includes over 160 companies across 7 sectors, with more than 125,000 employees and 1,600 unique positions reported.PwC represents a network of firms present in 149 countries with more than 370,000 professionals providing services in business consulting, audit and tax consulting.