S’pore women earn 14.3% less than men; gap narrowed over last five years: MOM data

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The median income for women working here was 14.3 per cent less than that for men in 2023, a narrower gap than the 16.3 per cent in 2018, according to the latest Ministry of Manpower (MOM) data.

Singapore’s pay gap was slightly worse than that across Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, which was 12.1 per cent in 2022. But the OECD data also shows the Republic did better than countries like the United States (17 per cent in 2022), Britain (14.5 per cent) and Japan (21.3 per cent).

After removing the effects of occupation and other labour market and human capital factors, Singapore’s adjusted gender pay gap in 203 was 6 per cent, down from 6.7 per cent in 2018. This means a woman could be working in the same job as her male colleague, in the same industry, at the same age and education level, but for lower pay.

The pay gap that remained after the adjustment could reflect the effects of parenthood; caregiving responsibilities; and unmeasured employment characteristics such as work experience, firm type, and job scope; as well as discrimination