Australia’s Workplace Gender Equity Agency (WGEA) has released its gender pay gap data for 2023–2024, revealing the gender pay gap information of architecture and landscape architecture firms.
The first instalment of data was released in February 2024, after reforms that advocated for greater transparency on the gender pay gap were enacted by parliament in 2023. The passing of this reform means that businesses with more than 100 staff are required to submit their gender employment data to the WGEA. The first set of data revealed the gender pay gap for more than 5,000 private employers during 2022–23, while the data for 2023–24 instead encompasses 7,800 individual employers and 1,700 corporate groups.
The second round of data indicates that just one in five (21 percent) Australian employers have an average gender pay gap in the target range of + or – five percent. Fifty-six percent of employers improved their gender pay gap since the first round of data was released, while 79 percent of employers still have a gender pay gap outside the target range of +/-5 percent.
Among the architecture and landscape architecture firms that submitted data to the WGEA, Group GSA has achieved the lowest gender pay gap for the second consecutive time, improving from 5.6 percent in 2022–23 to -0.6 percent in 2023–24. Following Group GSA, NBRS Partners achieved a gender pay gap of 5.8 percent.
In contrast, Populous Design had the greatest gender pay gap at 26.5 percent, while Grimshaw saw the most significant increase in its gender pay gap, rising from 16.3 percent in 2022–23 to 24.7 percent in 2023–24.
Mode Design, which previously had the highest gender pay gap in 2022–23, made remarkable progress, decreasing from 26.9 percent in 2022–23 to 13.9 percent in 2023–24. Other firms that showed notable improvements include Hassell, which reduced its gap from 26.4 percent to 20.9 percent, Bates Smart, which decreased from 17.5 percent to 10.8 percent, and Buchan Group, which dropped from 19.8 percent to 11.7 percent.
Company | Median total gender pay gap 2023–24 (%) | Median total gender pay gap 2022–23 (%) | Total workforce gender composition (women/men) | Upper pay quartile gender composition (women/men) | Had a gender pay gap policy | Undertook payroll analysis |
Group GSA | -0.6 | 5.6 | 45/55 | 54/46 | Y | Y |
NBRS Partners | 5.8 | 6.7 | 47/53 | 48/52 | Y | Y |
Lyons (Newpolis Pty Ltd) | 7.7 | N/A | 51/49 | 38/62 | Y | Y |
Clarke Hopkins Clarke (Vermont Lodge Pty Ltd) | 7.9 | N/A | 54/46 | 54/46 | Y | Y |
Aspect Studios | 9.3 | 16.6 | 53/47 | 32/68 | Y | Y |
Bates Smart | 10.8 | 17.5 | 51/49 | 34/66 | Y | Y |
Buchan Group | 11.2 | 19.8 | 40/60 | 36/64 | Y | Y |
Woods Bagot | 11.3 | 9.4 | 50/50 | 39/61 | Y | Y |
Wardle Studio | 11.7 | 16.8 | 48/52 | 26/74 | Y | Y |
Mode Design | 13.9 | 26.9 | 34/66 | 20/80 | Y | Y |
Cox Architecture (The Trustee for Philip Cox and Partners Unit Trust) | 14.0 | 17.1 | 43/57 | 28/72 | Y | Y |
Tract Consultants (The Trustee for Tract Consultants Unit Trust) | 14.6 | 13.6 | 55/45 | 42/58 | Y | Y |
Francis-Jones Carpenter | 14.7 | 15.3 | 49/51 | 31/69 | Y | Y |
Hayball | 15.4 | 19 | 46/54 | 35/65 | Y | Y |
Architectus | 15.8 | 19.3 | 47/53 | 29/71 | Y | Y |
Rothe Lowman | 19.4 | 19.4 | 51/49 | 40/60 | Y | Y |
Billard Leece Partnership | 20.6 | 18.2 | 54/46 | 48/52 | Y | Y |
BVN | 20.7 | 18.5 | 48/52 | 24/76 | Y | Y |
Hassell | 20.9 | 26.4 | 51/49 | 34/66 | Y | Y |
Nettleton Tribe (The Trustee for Nettleton Tribe Practice Trust) | 21.4 | 20 | 50/50 | 19.81 | Y | Y |
Silver Thomas Henley | 21.7 | N/A | 47/53 | 38/62 | N | N |
Balpara Pty Ltd | 22.6 | N/A | 19/81 | 18/82 | Y | Y |
HDR | 23.1 | 21.1 | 42/58 | 19/81 | N | Y |
SJB | 23.4 | N/A | 52/48 | 38/62 | Y | Y |
Designinc Sydney | 24.6 | 23.8 | 58/42 | 35/65 | Y | Y |
Cottee Parker (The Trustee f0r Cottee Parker Services Trust) | 24.6 | N/A | 50/50 | 29/71 | N | Y |
Grimshaw | 24.7 | 16.3 | 41/59 | 22/78 | N | Y |
Populous Design | 26.5 | N/A | 38/62 | 16/84 | Y | Y |
Table: ArchitectureAu. Source: Workplace Gender Equity Agency’s 2023–24 Employer Census.
Nettleton Tribe and Woods Bagot have attained a balanced 50/50 ratio of female and male employees within their organisations. Meanwhile, NBRS Partners and Billard Leece Partnership are nearing parity in the upper pay quartile, with female employees representing 48 percent and male employees making up 52 percent.
This year, several architecture firms have released statements to coincide with the release of the data outlining the steps they are taking to improve their median gender pay gaps. These firms include Architectus and SJB Architecture. A communique released by Architectus states that the practice is falling short on female representation at principal and senior associate levels, however, its executive management group is now 50 percent male and female, 51 percent of graduates employed are females, and females account for 62 percent of student intake.
To view the data in full, visit the WGEA Data Explorer.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
