B.C. government says provincial gender pay gap seeing 'modest improvement'

B.C.'s second annual pay transparency report shows a two per cent improvement in pay equality between women and men in the province, which a Canadian organization championing gender equality says is far from enough.

The report reveals a two-cent decrease in pay inequality, with women earning 85 cents for every dollar a man earned in 2024, up from 83 cents in 2023.

Sectors that saw the largest improvements in closing the gender pay gap, according to Statistics Canada data, were agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, where pay inequality has dropped from 45 percent to 36 per cent since 2023 — a nine per cent decrease.

Mining, quarrying and oil-and-gas extraction saw a seven per cent decrease in pay inequality from 24 per cent to 17 per cent, and young women with trade certificates or diplomas saw a 13 per cent drop in the gender pay gap from 18 per cent to 11 per cent in B.C. from 2017 to 2024. 

The report says 85 per cent of job postings in B.C. in 2024 included information about pay, whereas other parts of the country came in at 52 per cent, according to the job-search platform Indeed.

According to the report, B.C. has the fourth-highest gender pay gap among Canadian provinces. When intersectional identities are considered, such as being Indigenous or a female newcomer to Canada, pay inequality is higher. 

Humera Jabir, a staff lawyer with West Coast LEAF, says a two-cent improvement in closing the gender pay gap in this year's annual report is negligible.

"The Pay Transparency Act has no teeth and it has no ability to enforce the changes that we need to see to close the gender pay gap in B.C."

Jabir says to close the gap, B.C. needs a living wage for all people, policies that support and value caregivers, higher assistance for those on disability assistance, and fairness and protection for migrants. 

"We need the B.C. government to recognize that this is a systematic issue of pay discrimination that is deeply built into our economy and reflects the social and economic devaluation of work that's done by women and people who experience marginalization."

Jabir says a lot of women and marginalized people work in spaces with fewer than 50 employees, so they will not be reflected in pay transparency data under the act in B.C. 

The pay transparency act tool that the government is relying on is not capturing everyone, especially those most impacted by the gender pay gap, says Jabir.

"Unfortunately, what the reports are showing over and over again is that there is gender, systemic inequality in how people are paid. We've known that for decades, so what is the B.C. government doing to do about it?" 

Data limited, says commissioner

Kasari Govender, B.C.'s human rights commissioner, says that while the numbers in the report show slight improvements, it is worth noting that the data is limited to a select group who work for larger employers with 1,000 or more employees. 

Gender pay gap data will be expected from B.C. employers with 300 or more employees beginning this November, and employers with 50 or more employees will be expected to compile and post reports about their gender pay gap data starting in November 2026. 

Govender says only 80 per cent of employers complied with the pay transparency legislation, so the numbers from the report don't paint an entirely accurate picture.

"Pay transparency legislation is an important step towards pay equity, but the problem is it can't be the only step. The biggest issue is that we don't have pay equity legislation." 

Govender notes that while gender pay gap reporting is mandatory in B.C., there are no mechanisms to enforce it to hold employers accountable.

She says an enforcement mechanism, such as fines or other penalties for non-compliance, is needed for the legislation to work more effectively.

The intersectional data collected in the report is important, says Govender. Women overall made 85 cents on the dollar compared to men, while women with disabilities made 82 cents, and transgender women made 52 cents.