Successful audit of equal pay at ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich advocates for diversity and equal opportunity, including equal pay for its employees. The university and other institutions from the ETH Domain have been formally audited using the EQUAL-SALARY method – with positive results.
Employees are the key to every organisation’s success – a fact that ETH Zurich also recognises. There are proven benefits to ensuring equal treatment for a diverse workforce. The principle of “the same pay for the same work” is enshrined in the Swiss constitution and in the external page Federal Act on Gender Equality.
ETH Zurich appreciates the contributions of all its staff members and therefore pays employees with the same or equivalent work fairly. In order to verify this and be in line with gender equality legislation, ETH Zurich commissioned the external page EQUAL-SALARY Foundation to audit wage equality using a method by the same name. The analysis yielded encouraging results for the university.
Wage equality test passed
The results of the audit show that both ETH Zurich and all institutions within the ETH Domain (ETH Zurich, EPFL and the four research institutions: PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag) fulfil the cumulative criteria of the EQUAL-SALARY method, thereby passing the wage equality test. In concrete terms, the gender-specific wage difference at ETH Zurich amounted to –1.2% to the disadvantage of women. This result is within the tolerance range of 5%, as were the results of the other ETH Domain institutions: EPFL: –0.1%, PSI: –2.0%, WSL: –1.2% and Empa: –1.2% to the disadvantage of women; Eawag, on the other hand, has a wage gap of 1.4% in women’s favour.
“The results of the EQUAL-SALARY analysis have confirmed the regular wage equality reviews that we do at ETH Zurich,” says Julia Dannath, Vice President of Personnel Development and Leadership. “We’re going to stay on the ball and continue to strongly advocate for diversity, equal opportunity and equality at our university.”
Content of the analysis
The equal pay analysis included a review of the legal principles of equal treatment, taking different job requirements into account. Personal qualifications and workplace- and job-related factors also played a role, as did the possibility of a connection between salary levels and gender. The Swiss office of auditing and consulting firm external page PwC conducted the analysis based on the EQUAL-SALARY method. Their analysis was then validated by external page BDO, an auditing, fiduciary and consulting company.
What is EQUAL-SALARY?
The independent non-profit external page EQUAL-SALARY Foundation advocates for wage equality between male and female employees. The EQUAL-SALARY method is scientifically proven and compliant with the law. The method allows companies to detect and correct possible inequality and discrimination when it comes to salary.
Further information
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