24.4.2024 | Estonia

Estonia’s gender pay gap closes by nearly 5%

Text Mark Taylor
Photo Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

According to data released by Statistics Estonia, in 2023, the gross hourly earnings of female employees was 13.1 per cent smaller than that of male employees. The gender pay gap decreased by 4.6 percentage points compared to 2022.

Last year, the average gross hourly earnings were 10.27 euros for women and 11.82 euros for men. The largest gap between men’s and women’s earnings was recorded in the wholesale and retail trade, as well as the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (25.5 per cent), followed by information and communications (25.1 per cent), and financial and insurance activities (24.9 per cent).

There were four economic activities where women earned more than men: agriculture, forestry and fishing (gender pay gap -1.1 per cent), professional, scientific and technical activities (-2.4 per cent), transportation and storage (-5.6 per cent), and other service activities (-18.4 per cent).

In agriculture, forestry and fishing, women’s average gross hourly earnings were 8.49 euros, while men’s average hourly earnings were 8.39 euros. In professional, scientific and technical activities, the average gross hourly earnings were 13.95 euros for women and 13.61 euros for men. Female employees in transportation and storage earned 9.96 euros per hour on average, compared to 9.43 euros earned by male employees In other service activities, the average gross hourly earnings were 8.90 euros for women and 7.52 euros for men.

Liina Kuusik, an analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that the gender pay gap in Estonia has decreased by 11.7 percentage points since 2013. “In 2023, compared with 2022, the gender pay gap decreased the most in other service activities and increased the most in administrative and support service activities.”