Award reliance and differences in earnings by gender

The report uses data from both the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Employee Earnings and Hours (EEH) survey and the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, both of which have a measure of award reliance. Part 1 of the report examines the differences in earnings by gender in the 2010 EEH survey. Differences in earnings by gender are examined for all employees, award-reliant employees, and ‘other’ (i.e. non-award-reliant) employees. Differences are also examined for male and female employees based on the indicative skill level assigned to their occupational group under the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). Part 2 of the report examines the differences in earnings by gender in Wave 9 of the HILDA survey. The HILDA survey data is also used to identify some of the differences in characteristics of male and female employees that could be associated with differences in earnings. Finally, the report uses the EEH data to consider the potential effects of flat dollar and percentage increases in award rates of pay on differences in earnings by gender.