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BC Hydro releases Pay Transparency Report, revealing equal pay for men and women

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BC Hydro releases Pay Transparency Report, revealing equal pay for men and women

Canadian provincial utility BC Hydro has released its first public Pay Transparency Report in accordance with the Province’s Pay Transparency Act, and it reveals there is little to no difference in pay by gender when comparing pay for specific roles.

The release of this report is an important step in building trust and helping to close the gender pay difference that still exists in B.C., the utility said.

BC Hydro said it is committed to transparency and building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the province. It has a workforce of about 7,700 employees.

Over 2,500 women work at BC Hydro, and men and women are paid equally for doing the same jobs. For example, there is little to no difference in pay between men and women in engineer roles. Additionally, the utility’s executive team is also gender balanced, made up of 50% women.

However, women are underrepresented in higher-paying technical jobs, such as engineers and skilled trades, resulting in an overall average pay difference of about 14 cents per hour between men and women.

“We know we still have work to do, that is why we have set a goal for our workforce to meet or exceed the representation in the available B.C. workforce by 2026 for women, indigenous peoples, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities,” the utility said in a release.

Things BC Hydro is doing to support and increase the number of women in trades and technical jobs include:

  • Setting goals to increase the recruitment and representation of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and trades roles at BC Hydro through education, support and mentorship.
  • Promoting BC Hydro trades at schools with Women in Trades programs.
  • Providing inclusive leadership training for all managers and crew leads.
  • Creating connections so that each woman working in the trades at BC Hydro has a peer within the organization they can speak to on any topic of concern.
  • Supporting its Women’s Network, an employee-run volunteer organization that supports professional development and career networking.
  • Providing maternity and parental leave benefits.

More than 90% of BC Hydro’s generation is produced by hydroelectric power and 98% of its generation is low-carbon or renewable energy. The company generates more than 43,000 GWh of electricity annually to supply roughly 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers.