Equal pay: companies do not comply with the obligation to analyze

Post on: 10.03.2025

Half of Swiss companies do not comply with the obligation to conduct a parity analysis wage between men and women. This figure emerges from a report by the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), which the Federal Council took note of at its meeting on 7 March 2025.

In response to this situation, l' The Executive has decided to bring forward the evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Federal Equality Act of the sexes (LPar) at the end of 2027, instead of in 2029 as initially planned.

The principle of parity salary

The Federal Constitution enshrines the right to equality; of pay for work of equal value between men and women, a fundamental principle to ensure the equality in the world of work.

However, to ensure a effective application of this principle, from 1° July 2020 Companies with at least 100 employees are required to perform a Internal parity analysis wage, according to the provisions of the LPar approved by Parliament on 14 December 2018.

Companies have three main obligations:

1. To analyse whether there are systematic and unjustified pay discrepancies between men and women at the internal of your organization.
2. Have the results of the analysis by an independent body.
3. Communicate the results of the analysis to its employees, specifying any pay differences between men and women and the measures taken to correct them.

These measures aim to make the gender pay gap transparent and to foster a cultural change in company policies.

Failure to implement: Causes and consequences

According to the external study commissioned by the FOJ, moreù of half of companies do not comply with these obligations, which indicates a insufficient implementation of the legislation. Among the main causes highlighted are:

• A lack of awareness of the problem of inequality; wage between men and women.
• A limited knowledge of legal obligations on the part of companies.
• L absence of penalties for those who do not carry out the required analyses.

This lack of compliance questions the effectiveness of the LPar and raises doubts about the real protection of the principle of equality; wage between men and women.

A more action to ensure the Equal pay

In view of these results, the Federal Council has decided to accelerate the evaluation of impact of the provisions of the LPar. analysis, initially scheduled for 2029, will be brought forward to the end of 2027.

L' Objective è check if the legal obligation to conduct parity analysis has helped to reduce the pay gap between men and women and, if necessary, introduce further corrective measures.

This assessment will constitute a A key step in strengthening respect for equality wage level in Switzerland and ensure that the principle of " equal pay for work of equal value between men and women" does not remain just a declaration of intent, but becomes a reality; effective labour market.