The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the update of existing EU-wide guidelines for employers on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification systems to eliminate gender-based pay discrimination. With the development of a step-by-step guideline, the specific objective is to increase the use of gender-neutral job evaluation and classification as a tool to ensure equal pay for the same work or work of equal value.
By promoting these unbiased job evaluation systems, the project aims to help eliminate gender-based pay discrimination across the EU and address gender biases that have undervalued jobs dominated by women.
This project falls within the scope of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which empowers the European Commission to update Union guidelines in consultation with EIGE.
To achieve its objectives, the project will encompass the following deliverables over 13 months:
- Collect and analyse a set of examples of available tools, methodologies, guidelines and manuals for gender-neutral job evaluation and classification systems from EU Member States and beyond, including company examples from EU Member States;
- Preparing a step-by-step toolkit on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification;
- Testing the draft step-by-step toolkit on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification systems and the draft practical case study;
- Assess EU-level Staff Regulations of officials and the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities and practices in relation to gender-neutral job evaluation and classification systems;
- Create a web version of the step-by-step toolkit on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification systems;
- Produce knowledge-based awareness-raising and communication products.
The project will begin with desk research to identify and analyse relevant resources and company examples from EU and non-EU countries. This will be complemented with interviews in selected Member States (DE, ES, FR, BE, FI, and SE) to gather additional insights from the application contexts and good practices, challenges, and lessons learned from stakeholders and companies.
The step-by-step toolkit will be designed and developed considering the information and evidence gathered from desk research, national-level interviews and analysis of tools and methodologies from the EU and beyond and company-level examples. The draft toolkit will undergo testing and validation through two half-day online sessions with relevant stakeholders.
To implement this project, PPMI will collaborate with three international experts in gender-neutral job evaluation and national experts who will assist with data collection.