Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Liberia (Ratification: 2022)

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

The Committee notes the Government’s first report.

Articles 1(b) and 2(2)(a) of the Convention. Work of equal value. Legislation. The Committee notes that Section 2.5 of the Decent Work Act, 2015 guarantees men and women the entitlement, without distinction, exclusion or preference, to equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value. The Committee also notes the Constitutional guarantee of equal pay for equal work for all Liberian citizens enshrined in article 18 of the Constitution of Liberia, 1986. Recalling that Article 1(a) covers all elements of remuneration and that Article 1(b) concerns work of equal value, the Committee welcomes the scope of Section 2.5 of the Decent Work Act, 2015. Furthermore, the Committee notes that, per Section 16 of the Decent Work Act 2015, national minimum wages are established under legislation through the Minimum Wage Board, including the possibility of sector- or occupation-specific rates, and that remuneration may also be set through collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and individual contracts, subject to statutory minima. Additionally, the Committee notes the adoption of the National Gender Policy (2018–22), which sets out measures to address gender stereotypes and promote equal employment opportunities for women and men. In particular, the Policy identifies the Civil Service Reform Strategy (2008–11) as a vehicle for gender mainstreaming, including: (i) establishing mechanisms to implement affirmative action; (ii) drafting and implementing a civil service-wide sexual harassment policy; and (iii) designating Gender Focal Points in each ministry, agency and commission (MAC). The Policy also reaffirms section 2.5 of the Decent Work Act, 2015 and aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 8, explicitly referencing the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. However, the Committee notes that the National Gender Policy (2018–22) has lapsed, and that the Government, through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), in collaboration with UN Women, is drafting a new national gender policy, with finalization envisaged by 30 November 2025. The Committee further notes that in the interim, sectoral measures such as the Gender Policy and Action Plan (2021–25) for the Ministry of National Defence and the Armed Forces of Liberia and the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy (2020–2024) of the Judiciary Branch of Government, were adopted. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any new development concerning the drafting and adoption of a new National Gender Policy.

Article 2(2)(b). Minimum wages. The Committee notes that the Minimum Wage Board which is established by the Decent Work Act, 2015, was constituted on July 1, 2022, and is composed of the Minister of labour (Chairperson) and four other members appointed by the President on the recommendation of the National Tripartite Council. The Committee notes that under Section 16.1 of the Decent Work Act 2015, domestic and/or casual workers are entitled to a minimum wage of US$0.43 per hour (US$3.50 per day), whereas formal-sector workers are entitled to US$0.68 per hour (US$5.50 per day) for the work performed. In this regard, the Committee recalls that the setting of minimum wages is a key means by which the convention is applied. A uniform national minimum wages system helps to raise the earning of the lowest paid and can narrow the gender pay gap, given the tendency to set lower wages for sectors predominantly employing women. Thus, both national and sectoral minimum wage schemes should be designed and adjusted in a manner that ensures that they are free from gender bias, and that certain skills considered to be “female” are not undervalued (see 2012 General Survey, on the fundamental Conventions, para. 683). The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the manner in which it is ensured that: (i) sectoral minimum wage rates are fixed based on objective criteria, not the gender of the worker; and (ii) work in sectors with a high proportion of women is not being undervalued in comparison with work in sectors in which men are predominantly employed. It further asks the Government to communicate statistical information on the percentage of women and men who are paid the national minimum wage, and on the number of workers who are reportedly paid below the minimum wage.

Article 3. Objective appraisal of job. The Committee notes that the Government has not provided information on methods used to determine remuneration, whether in the public or private sectors. The Committee recalls that giving legislative effect to the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value is necessary but not sufficient to achieve the Convention’s objectives. The concept of “equal value” requires some method of measuring and comparing the relative value of different jobs. There needs to be an examination of the respective tasks involved, undertaken on the basis of entirely objective and non-discriminatory criteria to avoid the assessment being tainted by gender bias. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the fact that often skills considered to be “female”, such as manual dexterity and those required in the caring professions, are undervalued or even overlooked, in comparison with traditionally “male” skills, such as heavy lifting, thereby possibly introducing a gender bias in the classification of jobs. While the Convention does not prescribe any specific method for such an examination, Article 3 presupposes the use of appropriate techniques for objective job evaluation, comparing factors such as skill, effort, responsibilities and working conditions. The Committee therefore emphasizes the importance of adopting methods to analyse and classify jobs using objective, gender-neutral factors, to ensure gender equality in the determination of remuneration (2012 General Survey, Giving Globalization a Human Face, paras 700, 701). The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken or envisaged to develop, implement and promote objective job evaluation in the public and private sectors.

Article 4. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes that Section 4.1 of the Decent Work Act, 2015 establishes the National Tripartite Council, and Chapter 5 establishes the Minimum Wage Board. Noting that the Government has not provided information on the role of the social partners or the extent of their involvement in the implementation and promotion of the principle of the Convention, the Committee requests the Government to detail the framework in which cooperation takes place with the employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned to promote the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value.

Statistics. The Committee notes that the 2016/2017 Labour Force Survey of the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services, is the most recent survey and reports lower labour force participation rate for women, compared to men (20.5 per cent and 32.4 per cent respectively). Additionally, women are more affected by labour underutilization; the composite rate of labour underutilization (LU4) was 29.1 per cent among women compared to 25.6 per cent for men. However, it notes that there has been no labour force survey since It further notes that the World Bank’s Policy Research Working Paper, Evidence from a Macrosimulation of the Gender Divide in Liberia (April 2023), indicates that women in Liberia earn approximately 14 per cent less than men with similar skills performing similar work. The World Bank also reports that, in 2024, the labour force participation rate was 72.1 per cent for women and 81.7 per cent for men. The Committee wishes to stress that the collection and analysis of appropriate statistics is required to assess and fully appreciate the remuneration gap between men and women, across job categories, and within and between sectors (2012 General Survey, Giving Globalization a Human Face, para. 887). The Committee, therefore, encourages the Government to take the necessary steps to collect and compile data, disaggregated by sex, on the participation of men and women in the labour market and their respective earnings, if possible by sector of economic activity and occupation, to enable an accurate assessment of progress over time and report on the measures taken or envisaged to collect reliable sex-disaggregated data on wages.

Application in practice. The Committee notes that from the 2024 report on the national-level review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995 (Beijing+30 national report), that the Liberia Women’s Empowerment Project (2022–27), financed by the International Development Association (US$44.6 million), is under implementation to shift social norms, expand women’s livelihoods, and strengthen institutional capacity. Nonetheless, the Committee recalls the 2016/2017 Labour Force Survey reports gender imbalances in labour market status and working conditions, including gender pay gap. The Committee wishes to emphasize that gender pay gaps is a threat to decent work and requires that governments, along with employers’ and workers’ organizations, take 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 (2012 General Survey, Giving Globalization a Human Face, para. 669). The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any measures adopted with a view to reducing the wage gap between men and women workers, in particular, by addressing the issue of occupational segregation between men and women and the promotion of women in better jobs in the context of the Liberia Women’s Empowerment Project.