Industry Benchmark Report (IBR)

Employers must provide their Industry Benchmark Report (IBR) with their governing body as soon as reasonably practical after receiving them. 

The IBR is available to generate and download from the Employer Portal approximately 2-3 months after the reporting program closes. We’ll notify authorised contacts when it is available.

Note: The Industry Benchmark Report will only generate for organisations that report 80 or more employees in the Workplace Profile. For instructions on how to generate the report, please see Document Generation.

What is the Industry Benchmark Report

The Industry Benchmark Report provides a comparison of an organisation’s results against similar organisations based on industry classification (ANZIC Code) and workforce size. It:

  • compares results to the results of other employers in a Comparison Group
     
  • presents a snapshot of employer results, covering selected Gender Equality Indicators (GEIs) e.g. gender pay gap, workforce composition
     
  • is available to generate and download from the Employer Portal once the reporting program has closed (approximately 2–3 months after the lodgement period ends). We’ll notify authorised contacts when it is available.
     
  • Is only available for organisations (with an individual ABN) that received an Executive Summary (80 or more employees reported in the Workplace Profile).

The Industry Benchmark Report can be used to:

  • Identify trends in gender equity across industries.
     
  • Compare pay gap data with industry peers.
     
  • Assess workforce diversity and inform future gender equity strategies.

Requirement for the CEO to share the IBR with employer’s governing body

You CEO must give a copy of your Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark Report to each member of your governing body (if any). Refer to Notification and Access Requirements for more information.

To meet these requirements, employer must:

  • generate and download their Industry Benchmark Report(s)
     
  • review the documents – If there are questions about the gender pay gap, refer to WGEA’s six actions to take to check your GPG guide
     
  • provide the reports to the CEO (or equivalent), who must share them with the employer’s governing body
     
  • declare in their next Questionnaire that a copy the IBR(s) have been given to each member of your governing body (if any). We will verify if they have been generated when assessing whether you have met your Reporting compliance requirements. 

Note: The requirement applies regardless of the governing body’s location, including if it is based outside Australia.

FAQs - Industry Benchmark Report

Can I customise the Industry Benchmark Report to compare to a specific industry?

No, Industry Benchmark Reports are based on the primary ANZSIC industry classification and employee count for the ABN reported.

  • The industry classification is confirmed at the start of the lodgement.
     
  • The employee size category is based on data lodged in the Workplace Profile.
     
  • To explore other industries or make further comparisons, use the WGEA Data Explorer.

Will Not for Profit organisations be compared to other private companies?

Not-for-profit organisations are compared based on their industry classification and size.

Which employees are included in the Industry Benchmark Report?

All employees reported in the Workplace Profile for the specific ABN of the organisation are included.

  • Gender X employees are not included in the data for any Benchmarking Reports

Nothing happens when I try to generate my Industry Benchmark Report

The Industry Benchmark Report is available later in the year after competitor datasets have been prepared by WGEA. Report contacts are notified by email when this report is available, as well as how to generate and download it from the Employer Portal. 

  • IBRs are available to generate and download from the Employer Portal once the reporting program has closed (approximately 2–3 months after the lodgement period ends). 
  • We’ll notify authorised contacts when it is available.

The Industry Benchmark Report is generated for individual ABNs, not by overall submission group.

  • ABNs that report 80 or more employees can generate an Industry Benchmark Report, once available.
  • ABNs that report less than 80 employees cannot generate an Industry Benchmark Report.

Note: Relevant employers must meet their compliance obligations to share the Industry Benchmark Report to governing bodies. If all ABNs within a submission group report less than 80 employees for each ABN, then no Industry Benchmark Reports will be available.

  • For submission groups with no Industry Benchmark Reports available: when completing the Questionnaire, select N/A' when asked whether you shared this report.

FAQs - Sharing IBR with Governing Body

Do we need to share the Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark reports at the same time?

No, you do not need to share your Executive Summary(s) and Industry Benchmark Report(s) at the same time. They must be shared as soon as reasonably practicable. 

However, if the Industry Benchmark Report is available, and the Executive Summary has not yet been shared, both documents must be provided together.

Do we provide the Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark Report as is?

Yes. These reports cannot be edited.


 

Do we need to provide evidence of sharing with the governing body?

Yes. Employers must declare in the next Questionnaire that the documents have been provided to the governing body. We will verify if they have been generated when assessing whether you have met your Reporting compliance requirements. 

What if the governing body is not in Australia?

The Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark Report must be shared with the governing body, regardless of the board’s location.

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