Romania to be the First to Close the Gender Pay Gap in Europe
A new study from Expert Market, Europe’s leading marketplace, has examined the factors affecting the gender pay gap throughout the European Union (EU). By analyzing such factors as hours worked either full or part time, age group, public or private sector, industry and type of job, the research identified which groups of women will most likely achieve equal pay with their male counterparts first, as well as the employment criteria that will help to close the pay gap quicker.
The study shows that the top ten European countries to close the pay gap in the near future sees Romania in first place in the ranking, with a potential pay gap closure in 2018 for women aged 25-34 employed in the private sector and working in skilled manual roles in the hospitality sector. Poland is second in the ranking, with a potential pay gap closure in 2018 for women aged 45-54 working in sales or service roles in the catering industry. Belgium is in third place with a potential pay gap closure in 2020 for women aged 25-34 working full time in the public sector in clerical positions in public administration or government organizations. Iceland appears fourth in the ranking with a potential pay gap closure in 2020 for women under 25, employed in clerical jobs in the electricity or utilities industry. The Netherlands is in fifth place, its potential pay gap closure date predicted as 2020 for women aged 25-34 working in the private sector in the energy and utilities industry. In Slovenia, the study claims the pay gap will reach its closure in 2022 for women aged 65 or older, employed in the private sector in technical and managerial roles in government or public administration. Lithuania is expected to reach pay gap closure in 2023 for women under 25 working full-time in the private sector, in entertainment and utilities. Italy is in 8th place, with an expected pay gap closure in 2024 for women aged 55-64 working in managerial positions in the education sector. Sweden is in 9th place with a possible gap closure in 2025 for women under 25 and working part time in the public administration sector as skilled manual workers, and Luxemburg is in last place with a potential pay gap closure for 2026 for women aged 35-44, with full-time jobs in the sphere of education.
Contrary to the top ten countries listed, the research undertaken highlights that the UK, Germany and France are among the slowest to be closing the pay gap, with Hungary said to be the slowest of all. It appears the UK, Portugal and Hungary will achieve pay gap closure in 2067, 2068 and 2068, respectively. The UK is currently in 24th place out of 26. The research also says that women in the EU working in the energy sector or the government will be first to see the pay gap close.
“Although it is troubling to see the gender pay gap persisting in the EU, it is encouraging to see several potential closure dates in the near future. This research indicates that the traditional European powers – UK, France and Germany - could be doing more to help close the gender pay gap,” said Michael Horrock from Expert Market.
See the full report here.
Nino Gugunishvili