3. Findings

After several iterations of the Employee Cohort Analysis, all but 3 of the initial 522 employee pay discrepancies that were flagged for review were ultimately found to be justified. The primary justifications were considerable prior work experience, often in the private sector and occasionally at specific and relevant labor competitors; specialized technical skill or knowledge, or possession of a certification/license that impacts the value of the work; or the relative size of the department or team managed.

Overall, the total cost of the recommended pay increases meant to resolve these discrepancies is $4.46 per hour: $3.08 in the general employee population and $1.38 in the Department of Airports population. Four additional employees were flagged for future review and potential pay adjustment, simply because their pay rate was relatively low in their respective pay ranges, but not a result of a specific pay equity concern.

4. Recommendations & Recap

To summarize, while a statistically significant difference in pay was found between female employees and male employees across the City’s general employee population, none of the other differences identified were deemed statistically significant. Further, an in-depth review of employees and their associated backgrounds ultimately demonstrated that all but three identified pay discrepancies were found to be justifiable.

Overall salary adjustments were recommended with the goal of adjusting those three unjustifiable pay gaps, and while the overall amounts recommended as a result of this audit were relatively small, it’s often the case that organizations are unable to make all recommended adjustments in a single increase cycle. Our short- and long-term strategies for closing gaps are to initially focus on resolving on focusing largest discrepancies first, followed by adjustments to employees that happen to also be below their respective range minimum, or adjustments to employees that are top performers or long-tenured.