Employee Benefits poll: Almost six in 10 (57.7%) believe that ethnicity pay gap reporting should be mandatory, according to a survey of Employee Benefits readers.
A third (33.3%) did not think that it should be mandatory, while 9% said they were unsure either way.
Last month, Employee Benefits reported that the government published guidance for employers on how to voluntarily report on their ethnicity pay gaps.
Developed by the Department for Business and Trade, the Equality Hub and the Race Disparity Unit, the guidance included advice on collecting ethnicity pay data, how to consider data issues such as confidentiality, aggregating ethnic groups and the location of employees, and reporting the findings.
It also included support with recommended calculations and step-by-step instructions on how to do them, further analysis that may be needed to understand the underlying causes of any disparities, and the importance of taking an evidence-based approach towards actions.
The advice was published in response to one of the actions in the Inclusive Britain: government response to the commission on race and ethnic disparities policy paper, published in March 2022, which detailed the need to address ethnicity pay gap reporting challenges and to support employers looking to promote greater fairness in the workplace.
Kemi Badenoch, minister for women and equalities, said: “The concrete actions we have delivered over the last year are improving people’s day-to-day lives, but I know that we need to do more to tackle disparities and build people’s trust in our great institutions. We must all work together to ensure no-one is held back by their race, social or ethnic background.”