In one of the first submissions to a Scrutiny panel currently asking if there is a gender pay gap in Jersey, ASL Recruitment said it does not think there are issues when it comes to men and women being paid equally for doing the same job.
However, director Tina Palmer said that differences in average pay for men and women across organisations arise because of the barriers for many women to progress in their chosen career paths. As a result senior roles, and therefore those that are paid more, are more often filled by men.
In her submission to the Gender Pay Gap Review Panel, Ms Palmer said: ‘There is a lack of diversity at board level – so in most organisations, collectively, men earn more than women.’
She goes on to say that there seems to be a lack of understanding, sympathy or flexibility at senior-management level about the pull on many women between caring for their children and corporate expectation, with men often not experiencing the same pressure.
And she said that women who return to work after having children often look to part-time work as a solution to that challenge.
However, she added: ‘These thoughts are based on our experience with financial services – Jersey’s finance centre is very front-end focused, with most back office roles being automated or outsourced. This means that the availability of part-time roles is limited and if they are available they are 20 hours to the more likely 25-30 hours. So any candidate looking for less or perhaps one or two days – part-time, term time – this is almost impossible.’
Meanwhile, Oliver Taylor, in his submission to the panel, called for compulsory gender pay gap reporting as they have in the UK.
‘I honestly believe that we will not get anywhere in creating a more equal society unless we are able to bring the issue out into the light,’ he said. ‘Transparency, in my opinion, is the only way to achieve greater equality for women. Payroll data should be published for both the private and public sector, the UK has commendably already passed this so I see no reason as to why Jersey cannot follow suit. All sectors need to show that they are committed and willing to work towards eradicating any potential gender pay gap and only through providing this information can the government make a start.’
The Scrutiny panel has now sent letters to a number of organisations they believe could offer insight into the review, including banks, trust companies and law firms.
People have until 7 October to make submissions.
