Industry Benchmark Report (IBR)

Employers must provide their Industry Benchmark Report(s) with their governing body as soon as reasonably practical after receiving them. 

For instructions on how to generate the report, please see Document Generation.

The Industry Benchmark Report provides a comparison of an organisation’s results against similar organisations based on industry classification (ANZIC Code) and workforce size. It:

• Compares results to the results of other employers in a Comparison Group

• Presents a snapshot of employer results, covering selected GEIs (e.g. gender pay gap, workforce composition)

• Is available once the reporting program has closed (approximately 2–3 months after the lodgement period closes.

• Is only available for organisations (with an individual ABN) that received an Executive Summary.

The Industry Benchmark Report can be used to:

• Identify trends in gender equity across industries.

• Compare pay gap data with industry peers.

• Assess workforce diversity and inform future gender equity strategies.

Under the Act, employers have requirements to share reports with the employer’s governing body. Please refer to Notification and Access Requirements for more information.

To meet these requirements:

• Employers must generate and download their Industry Benchmark Report(s). 

• Employers must review the documents – If there are questions about the gender pay gap, refer to WGEA’s six actions to take to check your GPG guide.

• Employers must provide the reports to the CEO or equivalent, who must share them with the employer’s governing body.

• Confirm compliance – Before employers lodge their report, they must declare that the reports have been shared, and the legislative requirements have bene met.

Note: The requirement applies regardless of the governing body’s location, including if it is based outside Australia.

Industry Benchmark Report

Q – Can I customise the Industry Benchmark Report to compare to a specific industry?

No, Industry Benchmark Reports are based on the primary ANZSIC industry classification 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.

Q - Will Not for Profit organisations be compared to other private companies?

Not-for-profit organisations are compared based on their industry classification and size.

Q - 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.

• Gender X employees are not included in the data for any Benchmarking Report.

Industry Benchmark Report - Governing body review

Q - Do we need to share the Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark reports at the same time?

No, you do not need to share your Executive Summary(s) and Industry Benchmark Report(s) at the same time. However, if the Industry Benchmark Report is available and the Executive Summary has not yet been shared, both documents must be provided together.

Q - Do we provide the Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark Report as is?

Yes. These reports cannot be edited.

Q - Do we need to provide evidence of sharing with the governing body?

Yes. Employers must declare in the 2024–25 Questionnaire that the documents have been provided to the governing body.

Q - 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 the board’s location.