Annual Gender Pay Gap Update
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has published its latest gender pay gap report, which gives a snapshot of the average pay differences between men and women working across the Service as of April 2024.
This year’s report shows that, for the first time, the average pay for women is higher than for men in the Service. The median gender pay gap is now 3.28% in favour of women, and the mean gender pay gap is 8.35% in favour of women.
Gender pay gap reporting looks at the difference in average earnings across all roles and levels in the organisation. This is different from equal pay, which refers to men and women being paid equally for doing the same role. ECFRS uses a clear, structured pay scale to ensure equal pay for equal roles.
These figures reflect the current makeup of the workforce, where the Service has seen more women progress into senior roles. However, the operational workforce - especially firefighter roles - is still predominantly male. This contributes to fluctuations in the overall figures year on year.
Any gap - whether in favour of men or women - isn’t ideal. While it’s not realistic to expect the figures to ever be perfectly balanced due to the changing shape of the workforce, ECFRS remains committed to fairness, equal opportunities, and creating a diverse and inclusive Service.
Since reporting began in 2018, when the gender pay gap was 15.6%, ECFRS has made significant progress. We continue to focus on positive action in recruitment, working closely with employee networks, partners and stakeholders to understand where the Service can do more and bring about positive change.