What is meant by equal and comparative job?

Equal and in Comparative jobs Pay Equity Audit

In pay equity audit, the terms equal work and equivalent work are used.

Equal job does not necessarily mean having the same job title. Many organizations have an extensive job title structure where different titles may correspond to almost identical tasks. At the same time, some job titles clearly define specific roles, such as construction worker, physiotherapist, and dietitian.

If employees in a pay equity audit process are grouped solely based on job titles, it may result in a large number of small groups, making fair salary comparisons difficult. Therefore, it is recommended that clear job titles are grouped accordingly, while other positions, such as administrators, case officers, and managers, are structured into broader groups to enable meaningful comparisons.

Example groupings:

Various job titles can be included within these groups, provided that the tasks performed are largely similar. Job evaluation is always conducted at the group level, not the individual level. This means that, for example, a receptionist and an assistant are assessed on the same basis if they are grouped as Administrative Assistant.

After job evaluation, equivalent jobs are identified, meaning jobs that have the same complexity but may differ in content. These are categorized into so-called evaluation boxes with a specific point range.

When analyzing salary differences between female-dominated and non-female-dominated professions, where the non-female-dominated job has a higher salary despite being rated the same or lower, the difference cannot be justified by claiming that the non-female-dominated job is more complex. Job evaluation clearly indicates that these jobs are considered comparative.

Note that the comparison of equivalent jobs is not limited to the same evaluation box—the non-female-dominated job may even be placed in a lower evaluation box, further emphasizing the importance of fair pay equity audit.