Employers must provide their Industry Benchmark Report (IBR) to their governing body as soon as reasonably practical after receiving it.
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.
Please note:
- The IBR will only generate for organisations (with individual ABNs) that report 80 or more employees in the Workplace Profile. For instructions on how to generate the report, please see Document generation.
- If your industry comparison group includes fewer than five employers, you will not receive an Industry Benchmark Report this year and you will be exempt from the requirement to share this report with your governing body.
- If you are a designated relevant employer and require your baseline information for the target ‘reducing the gender pay gap for managers or non-managers’, please email targets@wgea.gov.au
What is the Industry Benchmark Report?
The Industry Benchmark Report compares an organisation’s results with similar organisations – a ‘comparison group’ – based on industry classification (ANZSIC code) and workforce size.
- For private sector organisations, comparison groups are formed based on industry classification and workforce size.
- For Commonwealth public sector organisations, comparison groups are formed from public sector peers of similar size.
The IBR presents a snapshot of employer results, covering selected gender equality indicators (GEIs) like the gender pay gap and workforce composition. It can be used to:
- identify trends in gender equality across industries
- compare pay gap data with industry peers
- assess workforce diversity and inform future gender equality strategies.
Requirement for the CEO to share the IBR with the employer’s governing body
Your 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 this requirement:
- Employers must generate and download their Industry Benchmark Report(s).
- Employers must review the document(s). If you have any questions about the gender pay gap, refer to WGEA’s six actions to take to check your GPG guide.
- Employers must provide the IBR(s) to the CEO or equivalent, who must share them with the employer’s governing body.
- Confirm compliance: before employers lodge their subsequent Gender Equality Report, they must declare that the IBR(s) have been shared and the legislative requirements have been met.
Please note:
- The requirement applies regardless of the governing body’s location (which can be outside Australia).
- Employers who do not receive an IBR (due to industry classification or employee size) are exempt from this requirement.
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 code 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?
Like all private sector employers, not-for-profit organisations will be compared against a comparison group 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.
- However, employees who have been recorded as ‘X’ gender are not included in Industry Benchmark Report data.
Who receives an Industry Benchmark Report?
Organisations that will receive an Industry Benchmark Report:
- reported 80 or more employees in the Workplace Profile for a single ABN
- are classified in an industry comparison group with more than five employers (based on ANZSIC code and size)
- lodged their report during the lodgement period.
Organisations that will not receive an IBR:
- reported fewer than 80 employees for the ABN
- belong to an industry comparison group with fewer than five employers
- are part of a submission group where all ABNs fall below 80 employees.
Reminder: The IBR is generated per ABN, not for the entire submission group.
Nothing happens when I try to generate my Industry Benchmark Report
The Industry Benchmark Report is available approximately 2–3 months after the lodgement period (1 April to 31 May) ends. WGEA will notify reporting contacts by email when the IBR is available, as well as how to generate and download it from the Employer Portal.
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 fewer than 80 employees cannot generate an Industry Benchmark Report.
- ABNs in industry comparison groups (based on ANZSIC code and employer size) of fewer than five employers cannot generate an Industry Benchmark Report.
Note: Relevant employers must meet their compliance obligations to share their Industry Benchmark Report with governing bodies. If all ABNs within a submission group report less than 80 employees for each ABN, 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.
I receive an error message when I try to generate the IBR
Not all ABNs will be able to generate an IBR. If you cannot generate your ABN’s IBR, it may be because:
- Your organisation reported fewer than 80 employees in the Workplace Profile for the ABN.
- Your industry comparison group includes fewer than five employers.
- The IBR is not yet available (it becomes available approximately 2–3 months after the lodgement period ends on 31 May).
- You are trying to generate the report after the generation window has closed (two weeks before the next lodgement period opens).
If you still believe your ABN should receive an IBR, or if you require further assistance, please refer to our support resources or contact us.
How do I generate my IBR for the previous reporting period?
Documents for a specific Gender Reporting Program must be generated at the time of notification. Reporting contacts will receive an email once the IBR is ready to generate. The report remains available in the portal for generation until two weeks before the next lodgement period opens. After the lodgement period begins, reports from the previous reporting cycle can no longer be generated in the system.
For further information on key dates, refer to Reporting dates.
FAQs: Sharing the IBR with your governing body
Do we need to share the Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark Report at the same time?
No, you do not need to share your Executive Summary(ies) 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 Questionnaire for the following reporting period 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 its location.