PHSA promotes gender equity as part of its overall commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and our
commitment to eradicating Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination from the health system.
We understand that delivering exceptional care to diverse patient populations in a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment requires a workforce enriched by a broad range of skills, experiences and perspectives.
In alignment with the
Pay Transparency Act, this report allows us to measure progress and guide future initiatives aimed at advancing pay equity across all levels of the organization.
For unionized staff, pay is set through collective agreements. For non-unionized staff, we follow provincial direction from the Health Employers Association of BC and Public Sector Employers’ Council for salary ranges and job classification.
To build a thriving and equitable workforce, PHSA is advancing a range of initiatives that embed diversity, equity and inclusion into our systems, policies and practices.
- We apply a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) framework to guide inclusive hiring, promotion, and development strategies—ensuring equitable access to opportunities and removing barriers for underrepresented groups. This includes bias-aware recruitment processes, inclusive job postings, flexible work options, and targeted outreach to diverse communities.
- We’ve launched the
Equity in Healthcare Certificate program with Simon Fraser University, introduced PHSA’s first Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Policy, and implemented a preferential hiring program approved by the BC Office of Human Rights Commission to focus on Indigenous and Transgender individuals.
- Our leadership development pathways now integrate equity and bias awareness, and we continue to use employee data and feedback to inform action planning, including pay equity.
- We also recognize Indigenous lived experience and expertise in job qualifications and compensation to support equitable hiring practices for Indigenous employees in Indigenous-specific roles.
The 2023/24 report included a data error related to "special pay." Instead of calculating an hourly rate, lump sum payments were incorrectly treated as hourly wages, resulting in extreme outliers—particularly among employees who identify as men, who represent a smaller portion of PHSA's workforce. This skewed the average hourly pay and led to a misleading pay equity ratio of 83 cents earned by women for every dollar earned by men.
When these outliers are removed, the adjusted 2023/24 averages show men earning $47.93/hour and women $46.85/hour—a ratio of 98 cents to the dollar. In the 2024/25 report, "special pay" was excluded entirely, resulting in average hourly rates of $49.55 for men and $48.14 for women. This yields a ratio of 97 cents to the dollar, closely aligned with the corrected 2023/24 data. This confirms that the discrepancy in last year's report was due solely to the misclassification of "special pay."
