BBC publishes Equal Pay Audit and Pay Gap Report

The equal pay report concludes that there is no question of any systemic gender discrimination in the way the BBC pays its staff. The audit has been overseen by Sir Patrick Elias (a former Court of Appeal judge) and conducted by consultancy firm PwC and legal firm Eversheds.

In his review, Sir Patrick Elias said: “The conclusion in the report that there is no systemic discrimination against women in the BBC’s pay arrangements for these staff is, in my judgment, amply borne out by the statistical evidence and is further supported by the analysis of particular cases carried out by Eversheds.”

The BBC commissioned the equal pay audit of its staff (broadly speaking those who are not senior managers, on air editors, presenters or correspondents) to determine whether there are any systemic issues in how it pays men and women.

A separate review into the BBC’s approach to on-air presenters, editors and correspondents (who are engaged on a variety of different contracts) will conclude by the end of the year. This will also be part of a much broader piece of work looking at how the BBC addresses issues related to the list of talent paid more than £150,000 so that it is more representative of the audiences it serves.

All organisations with more than 250 employees are required to publish a gender pay gap report by April 2018. The BBC is publishing its report six months earlier than required. The BBC’s audited gender pay gap is 9.3 percent against a national average of 18.1. The report has been independently assured by consultancy firm Ernst & Young. The BBC has also voluntarily audited its BAME pay gap which is significantly lower at 0.4 percent.

The BBC is not complacent and today’s management response sets out a range of actions we are taking as we strive to be best in class on fair pay. These include improving transparency on how pay is set, access for staff to specialist advice if people have questions about pay, ensuring managers review pay in their team every six months to ensure fairness, and ending single-sex panels for job interviews, as well as striving for diverse shortlists for jobs.

Director General, Tony Hall, said: “Fairness in pay is vital. We have pledged to close the gender pay gap by 2020 and have targets for equality and diversity on our airwaves. We have done a lot already, but we have more to do.

“While today’s reports show that we are in a better place than many organisations, I want a BBC that is an exemplar not just in the media but in the country - when it comes to pay, fairness, gender and representation - and what can be achieved. This is an essential part of modernising the BBC. And, if the BBC is to truly reflect the public it serves, then the makeup of our staff must reflect them."

While the BBC is making real progress, there is much work to do - not least on presenter pay and representation - and the BBC will update on progress by the end of the year.

BBC Press Office

Notes to Editors

• Copies of the gender pay gap report, equal pay audit, management actions, draft pay principles, and the judge’s commentary, can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/howwework/reports/gender_equal_pay_october_2017
• Today’s publications are not the BBC’s last word on gender pay issues, as the BBC we will set out actions on our approach to on-air presenters, editors and correspondents, by the end of the year.
• The BBC will also continue to consult with staff and unions as we move forward and deliver change.
• Below is the BBC’s performance against a range of gender and diversity targets:
  
  - 48% of staff are women (2020 target 50%)
  - 42% of leadership are women (2020 target 50%)
  - Target for 50:50 gender split in lead roles on air across all genres by 2020.
  - 14.5% of staff are BAME (2020 target 15%)
  - 10.3% leadership are BAME (2020 target 15%)
  - Target for 15% BAME on screen, on air and in lead roles across all genres by 2020.
  - 10.2% staff are disabled (target 8%)
  - 9.6% leadership are disabled (target 8%)
  - Target for 8% disabled people on screen and on-air including some lead roles by 2020.
  - Tony Hall has also committed to closing the gender pay gap by 2020.

Related BBC Links

• Review of Gender Pay and Equal Pay – October 2017