Gender pay gap employer statement

At Grant Thornton Australia we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all our people feel a sense of belonging, can thrive and contribute to quality work and a remarkable experience for our clients. 

Our focus on gender equality, guided by our Gender Equity Action Plan (GEAP) ensures we are providing equal access to opportunities and outcomes, regardless of gender. We support the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) in their commitment to transparency and equality through the publication of gender pay gap data. This initiative is a crucial step towards addressing and ultimately closing the gender pay gap, fostering a more equitable and inclusive workplace for all. 

Grant Thornton Australia’s Gender Pay Gap (GPG)

In the recently released annual (2023-2024) company reported gender pay gaps by WGEA, Grant Thornton Australia again achieved industry-leading results, with an average total remuneration gender pay gap of -2.4 per cent, and a median of -4.4 per cent¹. Meaning, in the last reporting period, average total pay for women was higher than average total pay for men, at a firm level². This small average difference is driven by a larger proportion of women across all career levels at Grant Thornton Australia, where women represent 56per cent of our overall workforce and men 44per cent.   

The professional services industry benchmark group GPG average for 2023-2024 was 15.6 per cent, and the median was 16.0 per cent³. Our results clearly indicate we remain ahead of our peers. 

However, we recognise the importance of ongoing vigilance to ensure that any gender pay gaps across different career levels within our firm are identified and addressed. We are therefore passionate about looking at the detail every year in our own reviews internally, in addition to understanding external benchmarking.

Our commitment to action

We have a strong commitment in supporting gender equality in the workplace and have been taking positive action through numerous initiatives and policies for many years. Our Gender Equity Action Plan (GEAP), along with our broader Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy ensure we remain focused on creating an inclusive workplace, free of bias and barriers in our systems, structures and behaviours. Regular tracking and reporting against our action plan and strategic goals keeps us accountable. 

Increasing representation of women at senior levels in the firm

A key area of focus is increasing the representation of women at Partner level in the firm.  Women currently represent 40 per cent of our Board, 33 per cent of our National Executive team and 27 per cent of our Partner group, the latter increasing by 6 per cent over the past three years.  

Through our GEAP we have developed a national Gender Equity Network (GEN) supporting greater visibility of female leaders, building a highly skilled active ally group, and fostering greater connections for GEN members with key leaders across the firm to better support sponsorship and mentorship opportunities. 

In addition, we continue to review and enhance our policies and initiatives that are designed to increase the participation of women in the workplace and retain talented females throughout their career journey. As a certified Family Friendly workplace, we offer a well-above industry average 26 weeks paid parental leave.  Our hybrid/flexible working policy includes access to a 9-day fortnight with no cut to remuneration, allowing greater access to recharge, supporting our people to balance their work and life priorities. 

Leadership as a critical factor in achieving gender equality 

Our leaders play a key role in identifying and addressing any bias or barriers in our systems, structures and everyday behaviours. As part of our GT Way, we expect our leaders to role model inclusive behaviours and therefore support their ongoing development in this area through different leadership development activities and programs.  Our focus for future initiatives includes seeking to better understand additional challenges that may be faced by those with intersecting experiences, including LGBTQIA+ women, culturally and racially diverse women and women with disability. 

Our DE&I strategy, GEAP and broader inclusion policies are actively supported by not only our Board, CEO and executive leadership team, but also our Partners and people throughout the firm.  Our 2024 National Engagement Survey results reported 90 per cent of people at the firm agreed that Grant Thornton Leaders proactively support diversity and inclusion initiatives. 

We’re proud of the work we have done here at Grant Thornton to advance gender equity, but we also acknowledge there’s still work to be done in our own firm, our industry, and across Australia to ensure there is no gender pay gap and that all genders are able to contribute and thrive at all levels in an organisation.

Footnotes:

1. WGEA considers gender pay gaps within and including –5% and +5% as an optimal target range. This range allows for normal fluctuations in the workforce.
2. While the WGEA results study the data for our people nationally, it does not include Partners, Principals, or Directors.
3. Industry benchmark figures are based on those provided by WGEA in November 2024.