The RCPsych is pleased to announce that it has further reduced the median ethnicity pay gap among its staff to just 2.02%. According to recent reports, the average ethnicity pay gap among some large charities is 21.9%.
Last year, the College’s ethnicity pay gap – the difference in average pay between white staff and minoritised ethnic staff – was 5.81%
There is no legal guidance to say that employers should conduct ethnicity pay audits – and many employers fail to carry out such research. However, in line with our College values, we believe it is vitally important to openly publish our ethnicity pay gap.
The College’s aim is always to get as close as possible to a 0% pay gap on the grounds of ethnicity as possible.
Although in practice, due to staff turnover and promotions, the College will never achieve exactly a 0% pay differential – and pay gaps will continue to fluctuate over time. However, by promoting equal opportunities through recruitment and promotions we will ensure that we are proactively reducing the chances of a substantial ethnicity pay gap emerging.
Any pay differential that does exist at the College, based on ethnicity, is not due to the organisation paying white staff more for the exact same work than minoritised ethnic staff.
Differences in average pay are due to different people being paid different sums at different points in the staffing structure for different roles.
Paying people from one ethnic background more for the exact same work than people from another ethnic background would be illegal.
While in 2022, minoritised ethnic staff at the College earned on average 5.81% more than white staff, this year, white staff earn on average 2.02% more than minoritised ethnic staff.
While the ethnicity pay gap that is considered to be the key indicator and reported in the media is the median average, we today also publish our mean ethnicity pay gap.
This year, the mean ethnicity pay gap stands at 2.14%, with white staff being paid on average more than minoritised ethnic staff.
Last year, this figure was 4.47%, with minoritised ethnic staff being paid more than white staff.
According to our 2023 ethnicity pay audit:
- 20.43% of staff in our upper pay quartile are Black, Asian, Mixed Race or Minority Ethnic
- 15.05% of staff in our upper middle pay quartile are Black, Asian, Mixed Race or Minority Ethnic
- 16.13% of staff in our lower middle pay quartile are Black, Asian, Mixed Race or Minority Ethnic, and
- 13.98% of staff in our lower pay quartile are Black, Asian, Mixed Race or Minority Ethnic.
In line with best practice, our ethnicity pay audit was based on our pay data from 5 April 2023. At the time of the pay audits, we had 372 employees and workers in post at the College. Overall, 16.4% were Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic.
RCPsych Chief Executive Paul Rees MBE said:
“We are really pleased that we have reduced the ethnicity pay gap at the RCPsych.
“Our narrow ethnicity pay gap is due to our rigorously following equal opportunities best practice in all that we do.
“We will continue to strive to further narrow our ethnicity pay gap over the coming years, as part of our desire to ensure a fair workplace for all.
“We will do everything we can to ensure we have the most minoritised ethnic-inclusive workplace as possible.
“By ensuring our workplace is the most positive for people from groups who have traditionally been marginalised in the workplace, we will ensure respect for people of all characteristics and backgrounds.”
Equality, diversity and inclusion at the College
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych
- Out-of-hours contact number: 07860 755896