Finland launches independent overall assessment of promotion of equal pay
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has launched an overall assessment of the equal pay measures introduced during this government term. The assessment covers the joint Equal Pay Programme 2020–2023 of the Government and central labour market organisations, and a number of the Government’s own projects promoting equal pay.
The overall assessment was launched on 1 September 2022. It is carried out by Master of Laws Leila Kostiainen, who is an external and independent evaluator. Kostiainen currently chairs the Finnish Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of the measures for promoting equal pay and, based on that, to make conclusions and recommendations.
According to Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist, progress towards pay equality has been slow, and Finland is regularly reminded of this. “It is important to assess the underlying causes and the effectiveness of different measures. At the same time, it is also necessary to assess the transformation of the labour market and the contractual system and the impact of this on equal pay.” The Minister considers that the further recommendations to be made in the assessment will be particularly valuable.
Leila Kostiainen stresses that pay inequality is a societal problem. “Solving it requires determination and resilience from operators. It is necessary to assess the measures on a regular basis. This may even provide new perspectives on working.
”The key objective of the tripartite Equal Pay Programme and the Government’s projects is to narrow the average gender pay gap in Finland. The gap is currently 16 per cent. The overall assessment examines how this objective has been achieved and whether the current measures are effective.
A consultation on the assessment will be held in autumn 2022. The report will be published in a publication series of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in February 2023.
The assessment covers the following:
Government Projects:
Legislative project for increasing pay transparency in the Act on Equality between Women and Men
- Equality plans and pay surveys at workplaces 2020 survey (description sheet in English)Linkki toiselle sivustolle
- Research and development project on work of equal value
Inquiries:
Outi Viitamaa-Tervonen, Project Manager, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel. +358 295163230, firstname.lastname@gov.fi
Leila Kostiainen, tel. +358 400805417, firstname.lastname@outlook.com