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Press release
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20 Apr 2023

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service reduces its Gender Pay Gap

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A newly published report has shown that Essex County Fire and Rescue’s gender pay gap has decreased over the last year.

The report shows that in 2022 there was an average pay gap of 1.02%, down from 3.1% in 2021.

According to the Office of National Statistics*, the UK’s national average gender pay gap for full-time workers is 8.3%.

Gender pay gap measures the difference in average earnings across all employees across the organisation. This means that every employee at every level is grouped together and an average is worked out for both men and women. 

The difference at ECFRS is that men earn 1.02% more than women.

This is different to equal pay, which is where men and women are paid equally for an equal role. ECFRS uses a clear pay scale to identify salary, and there is equal pay for equal roles across the organisation.

Chief Fire Officer Rick Hylton said:

“At Essex County Fire and Rescue Service equal roles are equally paid, there is no question about that. 

“However, we do have an average gender pay gap of 1.02%.

“The fire and rescue service as an industry is still male-dominated across the UK. At our Service, three-quarters of the overall workforce is male. So, although we can confidently say our non-discriminatory pay process results in equal pay, it is more challenging to reduce the gender pay gap when there is a disproportionate number of men in an organisation.

“When we began reporting in 2018 the gap was 15.6%. This huge decrease is a testament to the work we’ve done in creating a more diverse workforce, which is a key factor in reducing the gender pay gap. But we know there is still more than can be done. 

“We will continue with a programme of positive action in recruitment in our commitment to achieving a workforce that is more reflective of our communities.

“We will continue to work with our employee networks, partners and stakeholders to gain feedback and understand how we can bring about positive change based on feedback from colleagues.

“Our most recent change was to enhance maternity leave and pay, which sees full pay for the first 26 weeks, and is a prime example of where our diversity networks have championed positive change within our Service which will make a real difference to people’s lives.”


*Source: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/genderpaygapintheuk/2022
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