Recent media reports have highlighted Oxfam’s ethnicity pay gap, including a figure suggesting that white colleagues are paid 33% less than colleagues from Black and other People of Colour (BPOC) backgrounds. The figure comes from Oxfam’s ethnicity pay gap report, but it is important to understand what it does, and does not, tell us.
Richard Hawkes Oxfam GB CEO said:
"Oxfam is committed to fair, inclusive recruitment practices that value diversity and ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We do not operate a policy of positive discrimination.
"Headlines suggesting we pay white staff 33% less than BIPOC colleagues can feel divisive, so I think it’s important to look at what the figures actually tell us. The third sector has a long history of leading the way on diversity and inclusion.
"Our reported ethnicity pay gap is not evidence of unequal pay for the same work. The median is the middle salary when colleagues’ pay is ranked from lowest to highest across the organisation; it does not compare colleagues doing equivalent jobs. The representation of BIPOC colleagues in senior, higher-paid roles influences this picture, and we are proud to have a diverse senior leadership team."
"We also need to recognise the limits of the data. 30.8% of our colleagues haven’t shared their ethnicity data, and disclosure rates vary across our workforce for many different reasons. That means we need to be careful about drawing firm conclusions from the figures alone.
"One of the main issues we exist to address is inequality, and that includes internally. Headlines like these can create division, but if we’re all to move forward and reduce inequality, we should be celebrating diversity while being honest about the work still to do. We’ve made progress at Oxfam, and I’m proud of that, but there is much more work still to be done.
"Our approach is about fair recruitment, recognising talent and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to progress. This is about equality of opportunity for all, not favouring one group over another."
