On March 4, 2025, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) released its latest dataset, providing a comprehensive breakdown of gender pay disparities across industries, companies, and workforce demographics in Australia.
The report, which includes employer-specific pay gap data for companies with 100 or more employees, highlights persistent inequalities in wages, bonuses, and total remuneration. While some progress has been made, the findings reveal that men continue to out-earn women in the majority of workplaces and industries.
National Overview: The Gender Pay Gap in 2025
The national median gender pay gap now stands at 18.6%, meaning women earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. This translates to an annual difference of $28,425, reflecting disparities in both base salaries and additional financial incentives, such as bonuses and allowances.
According to WGEA, the primary drivers of the gender pay gap include:
- Overrepresentation of men in senior leadership and high-paying roles.
- Underrepresentation of women in industries with higher salaries.
- Disproportionate distribution of bonuses and additional remuneration.
- Unpaid care and domestic responsibilities, which impact women’s workforce participation.
Industry-Specific Gender Pay Gaps
While gender pay gaps exist across nearly all industries, some sectors show more severe disparities than others:
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Finance and Insurance: Women make up 53% of the workforce but earn 22.3% less than men on average.
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This sector remains one of the most unequal despite being a high-paying industry.
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Construction: The largest gender pay gap exists in construction, where women earn 31.8% less than men.
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This reflects the low representation of women in high-paying technical and leadership roles in the sector.
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Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: Despite women holding 41% of jobs, they receive 22.7% lower earnings than men.
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This includes legal, engineering, and consulting roles.
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Accommodation and Food Services: This sector has the lowest pay gap at 1.9%, largely due to a more equal distribution of roles and standardised wages.
These numbers highlight the persistent structural barriers that prevent women from accessing higher-paying jobs and leadership positions, even in industries where they make up a significant portion of the workforce.
Company-Specific Gender Pay Gaps
For the first time, the WGEA has released pay gap data at the company level, allowing employees and the public to see how individual organisations compare.
Some of the key findings from major employers include:
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Goodman Group: Employees receive an average salary of $766,000, but the company has a 66.4% gender pay gap, making it one of the largest disparities recorded.
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Macquarie Bank: The highest-paying bank in Australia, with a 41.8% gender pay gap.
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Like many financial institutions, pay inequities are driven by the underrepresentation of women in high-level investment and leadership roles.
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Media Companies: Several media organisations, including Guardian Australia, Australian Associated Press, and News Life Media, have achieved near pay equality.
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However, Radio 2GB Sydney has a significant gender pay gap of 51.1%, highlighting disparities in roles and earnings within the broadcasting sector.
The release of company-specific data aims to increase transparency and accountability, encouraging businesses to take concrete steps to reduce their gender pay gaps.
Progress and Challenges
While the data shows some improvements, challenges remain.
- 56% of employers have reduced their gender pay gaps over the past year.
- However, three-quarters of companies still pay men more than women on average.
- Many of the largest pay gaps result from men holding the majority of senior, high-paying positions, rather than deliberate pay discrimination.
The WGEA report also reveals that industries with stronger diversity and inclusion policies tend to have smaller pay gaps. Employers who actively promote women into leadership roles, introduce pay transparency, and offer flexible work arrangements tend to show lower disparities.
Legislative Measures and Pay Transparency
In 2023, Australia introduced pay transparency laws requiring companies with 100 or more employees to publicly report their median gender pay gap. The latest WGEA report marks the first full year of mandatory reporting under these new laws.
This initiative follows the UK’s gender pay gap reporting model, which has successfully reduced pay disparities in several sectors. Similar transparency policies have also been introduced in Canada, Germany, and Iceland.
Despite the new laws, experts argue that more action is needed to:
- Enforce stronger workplace policies that promote equal pay.
- Support women’s career progression into leadership roles.
- Address structural barriers, such as unpaid caregiving responsibilities.
What Needs to Change?
To close the gender pay gap, the WGEA recommends that employers:
- Increase pay transparency by making salary data accessible and closing unjustified gaps.
- Strengthen policies to promote women into leadership roles.
- Review and adjust bonus structures to ensure equitable distribution.
- Support flexible working arrangements to help balance caregiving responsibilities.
- Encourage shared parental leave to distribute caregiving duties more equally.
Conclusion: The Fight for Equal Pay Continues
The 2025 WGEA report highlights the progress made and the significant challenges ahead. While some companies and industries have taken steps towards reducing pay disparities, entrenched barriers still limit women’s earning potential.
Pay transparency laws represent a major step forward, but meaningful progress will require sustained commitment from employers, policymakers, and industry leaders. Without stronger actions and structural changes, Australia’s gender pay gap will remain stubbornly in place.
Key Takeaways from the WGEA 2025 Gender Pay Gap Report:
✅ National gender pay gap: 18.6% (Women earn 78 cents for every $1 men earn). ✅ Finance & Insurance: 22.3% gap despite women being 53% of the workforce. ✅ Construction: Highest gender pay gap at 31.8%. ✅ Company-level transparency: Goodman Group (66.4% gap), Macquarie Bank (41.8% gap). ✅ 56% of companies improved gender pay gaps, but most still pay men more. ✅ Stronger policies needed in leadership promotions, flexible work, and pay transparency.
Sources & Further Reading:
- WGEA Official Report (2025)
- Australia’s Gender Pay Gap Improves Slightly, But Women Still Paid 18.6% Less
- How Media, Supermarkets, and Banks Compare on the Gender Pay Gap
- Hundreds of Aussie Companies Named and Shamed for Pay Disparities
Related Reading on the Blog
Why the Gender Pay Gap is So Stubborn