Ofqual gender pay gap report 2023
Updated 27 March 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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Executive summary
Ofqual’s Gender Pay Gap (GPG) report is a high-level view and analysis of pay within the organisation and shows the difference in the average pay between all men and all women in the workforce.
- The Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) data, which was published in July 2023 by the Cabinet Office, calculated Ofqual’s gender pay gap figures and the methodology used annual salaries as of March 2023 to calculate hourly pay.
- The mean pay gap figure for 2023 is 10.6%, which is a 1.5% increase on the previous year. The median pay gap figure is 14.1%, which is a 0.2% decrease on the previous year. There is a larger proportion of women in the lower paid grades and, therefore, more women than men in the lower pay quartiles, which has driven the pay gap.
- The mean bonus gap figure for 2023 is 6.5%, which is a 1.5% increase on the previous year. The median bonus gap is 8.3%, which remains static from the previous year.
Introduction
Organisational context
Ofqual is a non-ministerial department that regulates qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England.
Ofqual currently regulates over 200 awarding organisations and more than 16,000 qualifications, which include GCSEs, AS and A levels, apprenticeship assessments and a broad range of vocational and technical qualifications.
Tasked by Parliament, Ofqual’s role is to:
- maintain standards and promote public confidence in regulated qualifications and national assessments
- promote awareness of the range of regulated qualifications and of the benefits of such qualifications, and secure that regulated qualifications are provided efficiently
Ofqual first exceeded the 250-employee threshold for reporting in 2021. The headcount of Ofqual’s workforce as of 31 March 2023 was 346. Ofqual remains a relatively small organisation in comparison with other government departments and it is, therefore, important to note that any small changes to the organisational structure with regard to staffing can have a large impact on the gender pay gap reporting statistics, both positively and negatively.
This report provides information on Ofqual’s gender pay gap for the year 2022 to 2023, with data to 31 March 2023 and comparable information for the previous year where relevant.
Approach
Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) remains a priority at Ofqual with EDI workstreams within our 2022 to 2025 People Strategy continuing to support in areas of under-representation by the delivery of new initiatives.
We aim for a diverse workforce at all levels, including Senior Civil Service (SCS) posts, and have robust monitoring in place at each stage of the recruitment and selection process to aid this. Our actions to date have built on strong foundations across our delegated grades including an encouraging increase in the number of females at Grade 6, which strengthens our talent pipeline for SCS1.
Structure
This report includes data relating to Ofqual employees only.
Ofqual’s pay grades range from Administrative Officer to Senior Civil Servants. Grades vary according to the level of responsibility that individuals have, and each grade has a set pay range as per the table in the section titled ‘Pay ranges’ later in this report. Ofqual’s gender split as of the 31 March 2023 was 36.4% male staff and 63.6% female staff. 97.4% of Ofqual’s employees are Midlands based.
The table below shows the breakdown of men and women represented in each grade:
| Grade | Number of men (% of total workforce) |
Number of women (% of total workforce) |
% of women in each grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Servant (SCS) | 11 (3.2%) | 8 (2.3%) | 42.1% |
| Grade 6 (G6) | 10 (2.9%) | 19 (5.5%) | 65.5% |
| Grade 7 (G7) | 43 (12.4%) | 53 (15.3%) | 55.2% |
| Senior Executive Officer (SEO) | 32 (9.2%) | 52 (15.0%) | 61.9% |
| Higher Executive Officer (HEO) | 22 (6.4%) | 62 (17.9%) | 73.8% |
| Executive Officer (EO) | 6 (1.7%) | 21 (6.1%) | 77.8% |
| Administrative Officer (AO) | 2 (0.6%) | 5 (1.5%) | 71.4% |
Gender pay gap report
The gender pay gap is the difference in the average earnings between all men and women in an organisation.
From April 2017, employers with 250 or more employees must publish information on their gender pay gap. The pay gap must be reported on in 6 different ways:
- the mean and median gender pay gaps
- the mean and median gender bonus gaps
- the proportion of men and women who received bonuses
- the proportion of men and women according to quartile pay bands
The mean gender pay gap is the difference between the mean hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.
The median gender pay gap is the difference between the median hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.
The gender pay gap is different to equal pay. Equal pay deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs, or work of equal value. It is unlawful to pay people unequally because they are a man or a woman.
The existence of a gender pay gap may not equate to the existence of an equal pay problem, but it may be a trigger for further investigation about why the gap exists.
For the purpose of this report, hourly rates have been calculated in line with the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey requirements and regulations as follows:
- a calculation of March pay for each employee
- a calculation of March hours for each employee
- a calculation of the gender pay gap compliant hourly wage
2023 gender pay and bonus gap
| Difference between men and women | Mean | Mean % change from 2022 | Median (middle) | Median % change from 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender pay gap | 10.6% | 1.5% | 14.1% | -0.2% |
| Gender bonus gap | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8.3% | 0.0% |
Pie chart showing the percentage of women who received a bonus in 2023 and those who did not. 88.6% of women received a bonus and 11.4% did not.
Pie chart showing the percentage of men who received a bonus in 2023 and those who did not. 96% of men received a bonus and 4% did not.
Pie chart showing Ofqual’s lower pay quartile broken down by male and female employees. 72.9% in the lower quartile are female and 27.1% are male.
Pie chart showing Ofqual’s lower middle pay quartile broken down by male and female employees. 66.7% in the lower middle quartile are female and 33.3% are male.
Pie chart showing Ofqual’s upper middle pay quartile broken down by male and female employees. 61.2% in the upper middle quartile are female and 38.8% are male.
Pie chart showing Ofqual’s upper pay quartile broken down by male and female employees. 52.4% in the upper quartile are female and 47.6% are male.
The median and mean gender pay gap for the Civil Service is 9.6% and 8.1%, down from 11.3% and 8.5% in 2022 respectively[footnote 1].
Pay ranges
Ofqual aims to appoint new external staff into post on the minimum salary for the grade. For internal promotion purposes, individuals are eligible to have their pay adjusted to reward promotion. This is based on the higher of the following:
- the pay band minimum of the higher grade
- existing basic salary + 10% (providing it is at or below the pay band maximum for the current grade)
Any variation to this must be approved by the Executive Director Finance and Operations and consideration during this process is given to comparative roles in the organisation alongside the gender profile for the grade. Pay on appointment must not exceed the maximum for the grade.
There is no incremental progression through the salary range but pay may increase if an annual consolidated pay award is made. In the 2022 to 2023 delegated pay award, Ofqual took a tapered approach to pay, providing a greater percentage increase to lower-paid grades.
Ofqual grades and pay bands as of 31 March 2023 were as follows:
| Grade | Minimum £ | Maximum £ |
|---|---|---|
| AO | £19,500 | £21,200 |
| EO | £23,100 | £27,000 |
| HEO | £31,310 | £36,800 |
| SEO | £38,380 | £44,900 |
| Grade 7 | £47,500 | £57,900 |
| Grade 6 | £63,630 | £71,500 |
| SCS1 | £73,000 | £117,800 |
| SCS2 | £95,000 | £162,500 |
| SCS3 | £125,000 | £208,100 |
Grading Structure
Due to the number of qualifications coming into scope for regulation, Ofqual’s headcount has increased since the last reporting period by 19.31%, which has altered the workforce composition.
The following table illustrates the percentages of Ofqual’s grading structure where the postholder is female and compares the year-on-year change:
| Grade | 2023 | 2022 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO | 71.40% | 100.00% | -28.60% |
| EO | 77.80% | 75.00% | +2.80% |
| HEO | 73.80% | 66.20% | +7.60% |
| SEO | 62.50% | 61.80% | +0.70% |
| G7 | 55.20% | 56.80% | -1.60% |
| G6 | 65.50% | 51.90% | +13.60% |
| SCS | 42.10% | 50.00% | -7.90% |
| Total | 63.60% | 61.40% | +2.20% |
The number of women at EO, HEO, SEO and G6 has increased by 2.8%, 7.6%, 0.7% and 13.6% respectively in the past 12 months. The proportion of women in AO, G7, and SCS has decreased by 28.6%, 1.6% and 7.9%.
Overall, the percentage of women employed at Ofqual has increased by 2.3% with the organisation reporting at 9% higher than the Civil Service average of 54.6%[footnote 2].
Analysis of the pay gap at Ofqual
Analysis shows the pay gap at Ofqual is largely driven by the proportion of female and male employees in different grades. While we have more women than men in all grades except SCS, there is a larger proportion of women in the lower paid grades and, therefore, more women than men in the lower pay quartiles.
There has been a pay gap increase in favour of men since the last reporting period of 1.5% based on the mean data but a decrease of 0.2% based on median data. The increase at mean is largely due to an increase in overall headcount at SEO, Grade 7 and SCS and a reduction of 2.4% of women being paid in the upper quartile.
2023
| Pay gap (mean) | Pay gap (median) | Bonus gap (mean) | Bonus gap (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.6% in favour of men | 14.1% in favour of men | 6.5% in favour of men | 8.3% in favour of men |
2022
| Pay gap (mean) | Pay gap (median) | Bonus gap (mean) | Bonus gap (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1% in favour of men | 14.3% in favour of men | 5.0% in favour of men | 8.3% in favour of men |
Gender profile
| Gender | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 63.6% | 61.4% |
| Male | 36.4% | 38.6% |
Over the period of 2022 to 2023 we have seen an increase in the proportion of female staff joining the organisation (2.3%), this is 1.9% higher than the previous reporting period.
Distribution of women through each pay quartile
| Pay quartile | Female % in 2023 | Female % in 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Upper | 52.4% | 52.1% |
| Upper middle | 61.2% | 53.5% |
| Lower middle | 66.7% | 64.8% |
| Lower | 72.9% | 71.8% |
Analysis of the bonus gap
The bonus gap for 2023 is 6.5% (mean) and 8.3% (median) in favour of men.
The calculation for the bonus gap includes In Year Awards, which are non-consolidated cash awards focusing on organisational performance, and End of Year Awards, which are typically a non-consolidated variable award formerly paid as part of the annual appraisal process in recognition of individual performance.
In making an award for bonus payments, a reference period is used as the basis for calculations alongside a set criterion that pro-rates awards based on working patterns and excludes periods of probation, long-term sickness, and family leave.
There are several points to consider when reviewing the bonus gap. These include:
- a higher proportion of women were affected by pro-rating as there was a higher proportion of women working part-time hours in comparison to men
- a larger number of women joined the organisation during the reference period and were therefore subject to a probationary period at the time of the bonus award
- a higher proportion of women were affected by pro-rating due to absence in comparison with men
Percentage of men and women receiving a bonus
2023
| Year | Men with bonus | Women with bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 96% | 88.6% |
| 2022 | 81.3% | 80.9% |
Actions undertaken since the last reporting period
Since the last publication Ofqual has taken the following steps in response to gender pay gap analysis:
- continued review and development of recruitment practices and processes
- review of pay bands including minimums and maximums
- review of pay anomalies across the organisation with a particular focus on gender
- decoupling of bonus payments linked to annual appraisal, with a move to in-year awards
Further actions to be taken
Ofqual will continue to monitor the gender pay gap and will use the 2024 pay remit process to consider any anomalies that require addressing while ensuring EDI remains a key focus throughout the organisation.
Declaration
We confirm that data reported by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is accurate and has been calculated according to the requirements and methodology set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.