Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Saudi Arabia (Ratification: 1978)

Article 2 of the Convention. Measures to assess and address the gender pay gap and its underlying causes. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to: (1) identify the nature and extent of wage disparities, analyse their underlying causes and adopt the necessary measures to address them; (2) provide information on the measures adopted to that effect and indicate whether pay structures have been established, according to a system of job classification, at the national level for both Saudi and non-Saudi workers; and (3) continue to collect and provide statistical information on the wages of men and women workers at all levels and monitor the gender wage gap in all sectors of the economy, in particular the private sector. The Committee notes the Government’s indication, in its report, that the gender pay gap between male and female workers can be attributed to multiple factors, including the late entry of females in the labour market and the different nature of the work they accept. The Ministry is currently working on developing studies to measure the wage gap and survey the workforce in order to find appropriate solutions. The Government indicates that a number of measures have been put in place to address the causes of the wage gap, such as for example: (1) the launch of a “corporate self-assessment evaluation programme” which requires companies to evaluate their conformity with the labour legislation, and in particular with non-discrimination regulations, prior to the visits of the labour inspectorate; (2) the organization of awareness-raising campaigns on wage discrimination in the media; and (3) the establishment of the “Unified Work Environment Regulations in the private sector” (Regulation No. 4904 of 1442 Hegire (2020)) which require companies to put in place a transparent salary scale that reflects grades and steps according to diplomas, skills and work experience. According to the statistics provided by the Government, the average monthly wage for male workers in the first half of 2021 reached 6,775 Saudi Riyals (SAR) (USD1,800), while for female workers it was SAR5,145 (USD1,400). Women get SAR75 (USD20) for every SAR100 (USD26) earned by men. The Committee recalls that the persistence of significant gender pay gap requires that governments, along with employers’ and workers’ organizations, take more proactive measures to raise awareness, make assessments, and promote and enforce the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. Noting that the Government has identified some of the underlying causes of inequalities in remuneration between men and women, the Committee requests the Government: (i) to provide information on the findings of the studies undertaken to measure the wage gap and survey the workforce in order to find appropriate solutions; (ii) to intensify its efforts to address effectively gender discrimination, gender stereotypes and occupational segregation, and to promote women’s access to a wider range of job opportunities at all levels, including top management positions and higher paying jobs; and (iii) to continue providing statistical information, particularly on men’s and women’s monthly and hourly wages and additional allowances, according to economic sector.

Promoting and enforcing the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to take the necessary steps: (1) to reinforce the understanding of the concept of “work of equal value” among workers, employers and their organizations, and public officials, including labour inspectors and judges; (2) to ensure that workers can efficiently avail themselves of their right to non-discrimination in wages for work of equal value pursuant to Order No. 2370/1, including through the development and use of appropriate objective job evaluation methods; and (3) to continue to provide information on any case of non-compliance detected by labour inspectors or complaints of unequal remuneration submitted to them or to a court, and the outcome thereof. In reply, the Government informs the Committee that specific activities were organized to raise awareness of labour inspectors and employers’ and workers’ organizations on the principle of the Convention, including on the importance of formulating workplace policies that are non-gender-biased and using objective and non-discriminatory evaluation factors. The Government indicates that three complaints on wage discrimination were submitted to the courts in 2021 and a fine of SAR20,000 (USD5,300) was imposed for each case but does not specify if those complaints concerned wage discrimination between men and women for a job of equal value. Recalling that difficulties in applying the Convention in law and in practice result in particular from a lack of understanding of the concept of work of equal “value”, the Committee requests the Government to continue organizing awareness-raising activities on the concept of “work of equal value” and the importance of using objective job evaluation systems free from gender bias (namely the under-evaluation of skills considered as “natural” for women, such as dexterity and those required in caring professions, and the over-evaluation of skills traditionally considered as “masculine”, such as physical force) among workers, employers and their organizations, and public officials, including labour inspectors and judges. It further asks once again the Government to ensure that workers can efficiently avail themselves of their right to non-discrimination in wages for work of equal value pursuant to Order No. 2370/1 and to provide information on any case of non-compliance detected by labour inspectors on complaints of unequal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, submitted to them or to a court, and the outcome thereof.