EU Directive No. 970/2023 requires companies to adopt concrete measures to ensure pay equality between men and women, setting strict requirements for pay transparency and protection against wage discrimination.
What does this concretely mean for companies and workers? How do we support our clients?
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With the adoption of Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023, the European Union has taken an important step forward in tackling the persistent gender pay gap, strengthening the principle of equal pay for the same work or for work of equal value. The new instrument, based on pay transparency criteria and enforcement mechanisms, represents a substantial evolution of the European framework on gender equality in the workplace.
The Directive aims to make Article 157 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) truly effective, as it already enshrines the principle of equal pay. However, the presence of structural factors — including occupational segregation and limited pay transparency — continues to fuel wage disparities between men and women.
To address this situation, the Directive introduces new tools to make pay information accessible and assigns employers a series of practical and measurable obligations. The goal is to create a more transparent and accountable system for determining and managing remuneration.
Among the main innovations introduced by the Directive are the following:
Preliminary analysis of the gender pay gap
Employers will be required to conduct an internal analysis to assess whether pay disparities exist between men and women, using the parameters set out in the Directive. This analysis must be carried out before the reporting obligation comes into force, allowing companies to take timely action to correct any gaps before official deadlines.
This analysis is intended to prevent breaches of the Directive and reduce the risk of litigation, giving employers time to align with the new regulations.
Proceduralising the right of access to pay data
Employers must formalise procedures allowing employees to access information on the pay of other workers performing the same work or work of equal value. Each worker will have the right to know the average pay levels for comparable categories in order to verify the presence of any gender disparities.
In practice, companies will need to establish clear procedures for handling such requests, ensuring transparency and timely access while balancing the right to information with data privacy requirements.
Revision of recruitment procedures and job offers
Employers will be required to include clear information on pay levels or salary ranges in job postings. This aims to prevent gender-based discrimination and ensure that recruitment processes are equally accessible to all.
Accordingly, recruitment practices must be reviewed to ensure gender neutrality, avoiding implicit biases that may favour one gender over another. This includes reviewing job descriptions, interview processes, and evaluation criteria.
Periodic reporting and joint assessments
Companies with more than 100 employees will have to submit biennial reports on gender pay gaps to the monitoring body responsible for verifying the Directive’s implementation. Companies with more than 250 employees will have to do so annually. These reports must include detailed data on pay distribution and the causes of any inequalities.
If an unjustified gender pay gap exceeding 5% is identified, the employer will be required to work jointly with trade unions or employee representatives to conduct a joint assessment and identify corrective measures.
Reversal of the burden of proof in case of litigation
In pay discrimination cases, the burden of proof will rest on the employer, who must demonstrate that any pay difference is not based on gender discrimination. If a pay disparity is established, the employee will be entitled to compensation for the damage suffered, including back pay and moral damages.
Read the full version published on HR Online, rivista di AIDP.
Parità di genere nel settore moda: tra inclusività, obblighi normativi e pratiche virtuose
Il settore della moda si trova oggi a confrontarsi con principi come l’inclusività e la parità di genere. Principi che non devono intendersi applicabili solo alle scelte creative o comunicative proprie del settore ma ad obblighi etici e normativi che prevedono il rispetto dei diritti della persona e la responsabilità sociale delle imprese.
L’ordinamento italiano, ad oggi, prevede il:
In aggiunta a ciò, il Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) ha introdotto la “Certificazione per la parità di genere”. Disciplinata dal Codice delle pari opportunità e dalla Legge 162/2021, il sistema di certificazione è regolato dalla UNI/PdR 125:2022. Ossia una prassi di riferimento che valuta le politiche aziendali in materia di inclusione, parità retributiva, accesso alle posizioni apicali, conciliazione vita-lavoro e tutela della genitorialità.
A livello europeo, la Strategia per la parità di genere 2020–2025 e la Direttiva UE 2023/970 sulla trasparenza salariale, si pongono l’obiettivo di rafforzare l’applicazione del principio della parità di retribuzione tra uomini e donne per uno stesso lavoro o per un lavoro di pari valore attraverso la trasparenza retributiva e i relativi meccanismi di applicazione.
A differenza della “Certificazione per la parità di genere” che costituisce uno strumento volontario, gli Stati Membri dovranno recepire la Direttiva entro il 7 giugno 2026. Nel frattempo, è opportuno che le imprese italiane inizino a familiarizzare con i nuovi obblighi previsti considerando l’impatto che gli stessi avranno nelle politiche aziendali tanto nella fase di recruitment e on boarding quanto in quella di gestione del rapporto di lavoro. E in questo scenario, vale la pena rilevare che ottenere la “Certificazione per la parità di genere” rappresenta un importante vantaggio nel percorso di adeguamento alla Direttiva.
Nonostante la forte presenza femminile nel settore, numerosi studi hanno evidenziato che le posizioni dirigenziali e creative sono ancora occupate prevalentemente da uomini.
Continua a leggere la versione integrale pubblicata su The Platform.
In its message no. 1269 of 3 April 2023, the INPS [Italy’s National Social Security Institute] extended the deadline for submitting the request for social security contribution exemption for private employers who are in possession, as of 31 December 2022, of the gender equality certification referred to in Article 46-bis of Legislative Decree of 11 April 2006, no. 198
In particular, the application deadline for the 1% social security contribution exemption (initially set for 15 February 2023) was postponed to 30 April 2023.
In the same message, INPS also announced that special indications will be provided, in agreement with the Ministry of Labour, to allow – also in light of the results of the first phase of the application for the exemption – access to the social security contribution relief to employers who have obtained the gender equality certification after 31 December 2022.
Lastly, it should be noted that the Ministry of Labour, in its press release of 28 November, announced the ministerial decree of 20 October 2022, which defines the criteria and procedures for granting the social security contribution exemption for private employers who achieve the gender equality certification introduced into our system by Law No. 162/2021.
This is a voluntary certification that the most virtuous companies can apply for, and obtaining it brings with it a series of benefits, including: relief from social security contributions of no more than 1% and up to a maximum of €50,000.00/year for each company; advantageous criteria in the case of tenders; possibility of access to a bonus score for the evaluation, by national and regional European funds authorities, of project proposals for the granting of State aid to co-finance the investments made.
With the press release of 28 November, the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy publicised the ministerial decree of 20 October 2022 which defines the criteria and procedures for granting the tax exemption for private employers who obtain the certification of gender equality introduced into our legal system by Italian Law No 162/2021.
This is a voluntary certification that the most compliant companies can apply for and obtaining it brings with it a series of concessions, including: tax relief up to 1% and a maximum of EUR 50,000.00/year for each company; advantageous criteria in tenders; possibility of obtaining a bonus score in the assessments by authorities holding national and regional European funds, of project proposals for the granting of state aid to co-finance the investment undertaken.
To obtain the tax exemption, the decree establishes that certified companies will be able to submit, by electronic means only, the application for exemption from the National Social Security Entity (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale, ‘INPS’), according to the instructions to be provided by INPS.
This application must include certain information including: (i) the company’s identification data, (ii) the average monthly salary and the estimated average rate relating to the equality certification’s period of validity, (iii) the sworn self-declaration, issued under Italian Presidential Decree No 445/2000, with which the company declares that it holds the gender equality certification, and (iv) the certification’s period of validity.
INPS will assess the applications on the basis of the information in its possession (and that transmitted by the Department for Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council) and will grant the company the exemption for the certification’s entire period of validity.
The exemption, calculated on a monthly basis, will be used by employers through a reduction in their social security contributions for all the months of the certification’s validity, provided that the certification is not revoked and no measures are taken to suspend the social security benefits adopted by the National Labour Inspectorate (Ispettorato nazionale del lavoro).
Altri insight correlati:
Gender equality: parameters for obtaining certification have been defined
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