Directive (EU) 2023/970 · Article 4
Establishing work of equal value
The directive's hardest and most-skipped step: comparing different jobs objectively — not by title, and not by market rate.
Equal value, not just equal jobs
The directive requires equal pay for the same work and for work of equal value — across different roles. A warehouse supervisor and a call-centre team leader may do very different jobs of comparable value. Establishing that comparison objectively, rather than assuming the market already priced it fairly, is the obligation employers most often underestimate.
The four-factor test
Work of equal value is assessed on objective, gender-neutral criteria grouped into four factors: skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions. An analytical job-evaluation scheme scores each role against these factors, producing a value that can be compared across the organisation — the basis the directive asks you to defend.
Why salary benchmarking isn't enough
Inferring a role's value from market pay data bakes existing bias straight into your baseline — if the market underpays a female-dominated role, benchmarking simply reproduces that gap and calls it fair. A job-evaluation survey is the directive's actual test for equal value, and it is hard to retrofit onto a benchmarking product.
Frequently asked
What does "work of equal value" mean?
Roles that are different but comparable when judged objectively on skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions. The directive requires equal pay across such roles, not only for identical jobs.
Is salary benchmarking enough to prove equal value?
No. Market data reflects existing pay patterns, including any embedded bias. The directive expects an objective, gender-neutral job-evaluation method, not a market-rate proxy.
What is a gender-neutral job-evaluation scheme?
An analytical method that scores every role on the same objective factors (skills, effort, responsibility, working conditions) so different jobs can be compared on value rather than title or pay history.
Based on Directive (EU) 2023/970, Art. 4, via EUR-Lex, and EIGE job-evaluation guidance. Confirm against your national transposition.