Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon.gov Homepage

Equal Pay Analysis Project

data-detail-cropped.png


In compliance with the law, the Executive Branch of state government conducts an Equal Pay Analysis at least once every three years to assess and correct wage disparities among employees who perform work of a comparable character.

The 2024 Equal Pay Analysis is currently underway. The project is expected to proceed in phases per the following timeline.

Project Timeline

Nov. – Dec. 2023 (Complete): Employees update and confirm their Workday profiles, including their education and previous job experience.

Jan. – April 2024 (Complete): Data validation, methodology decisions.

May – June 2024 (Current): Finalize step placement.

June 1, 2024: Effective date for pay increases as a result of the analysis.

Mid July 2024: Employee notification for employees hired before January 10, 2024. Those receiving an increase will see the increase on the August 1, 2024, paycheck.

August -September 2024: Employees who were hired or changed jobs between January 10, 2024 and May 31, 2024, will go through the Equal Pay Analysis and will be receive notification of the results. Any salary increase as a result will be effective June 1, 2024.

July – October 2024: Employee appeals window as provided in applicable CBA/Policy.

July 2024 - January 2025: Appeal response issued as provided in applicable CBA/Policy


Project Files

2021 Oregon Equal Pay Summary

List of Project Partners

Methodology Comparison 

Equal Pay Analysis Methodology Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Project

​​​​​​Oregon state government is committed to fair employment practices and non-discrimination, including equitable compensation, for all employees. The Equal Pay Project includes an analysis of the compensation of current state employees in the executive branch that perform similar work to assess and correct any wage disparities based on the law.

Oregon's Equal Pay Act​ makes it unlawful for any Oregon employer to:

  • Discriminate between employees, in wages and other compensation for “work of a comparable character," on the basis of a protected class;
  • An employer may pay employees for work of comparable character at different compensation levels if all of the difference in compensation levels is based on a bona fide factor that is related to the position in question and is based on:

          (A) A seniority system;

          (B) A merit system;

          (C) A system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, including piece-rate work;

          (D) Workplace locations;

          (E) Travel, if travel is necessary and regular for the employee;
    ​
          (F) Education;

          (G) Training;

          (H) Experience; or (I) Any combination of the factors described in this paragraph if the combination of factors accounts for the entire compensation differential. Seek or use the salary history of an applicant before an employment and salary offer has been made;
  • Screen applicants on the basis of current or past compensation; or
  • Determine compensation for a position based on current or past compensation of a prospective employee.​


​​​​An equal pay analysis means an evaluation process to assess and correct wage disparities among employees who perform work of a comparable character.

Employees with similar bona fide factors  (e.g., seniority, experience, education) should be compensated similarly.​

Employees in the executive branch as of January 10, 2024, are in scope of this equal pay analysis. The analysis is currently being conducted and any pay adjustments as a result of the analysis will be effective June 1, 2024.​

​​The equal pay analysis is currently being conducted and any pay adjustments as a result of the analysis will be effective June 1, 2024. ​

Executive branch employees will be notified via email in Summer 2024. ​

2024 Methodology Updates

​Certain factors of the methodology used to calculate the compensation step for employees based on the bona fide factors of education, previous relevant experience, and seniority/merit have changed. Previous caps on step placement have been removed. Credit is being given for highest advanced degree received, regardless of minimum qualification requirements or job relevance. Previous relevant experience is now weighted at .5 (2 years = 1 step).​

 As of June 1, 2024, the highest advanced degree received will be given as an experience credit in determining the appropriate step placement, regardless if the degree is relevant to the position. An associate degree is equivalent to 1.5 years of experience, a bachelor degree is equivalent to 3 years, a master degree is equivalent to 4 years, and a doctorate is equivalent to 5 years' experience. ​​

No. The change to the Equal Pay calculation has no bearing on what is expected for minimum qualifications that require or use a relevant degree or education to be met.​​

The weight is the value given to each year of previous relevant experience to determine the appropriate salary step for an employee. As of June 1, 2024, each year of previous relevant experience is given a .5 weight for all classifications. Thus, 2 years of previous relevant experience equals 1 salary step.​

Previously, initial step placement was capped at a certain step level depending on the classification, regardless of previous relevant experience. These caps have been removed, which allows a candidate to be hired into any step within the classifications salary range, in accordance with the Equal Pay methodology.  ​​

An analysis was conducted on the previous experience and description of work you entered in your Workday job history and compared to your current position. Relevant experience being any past experience, tasks, and duties relevant to a job in terms of skills or knowledge required. It does not necessarily mean that you must have worked in the exact role or had the same job title before​.

The information considered includes data from your time in current position, previous relevant experience, and education information you provided in your Workday profile.​​

Yes. A document will be uploaded to your Workday account in mid-July 2024, with the specifics related to your calculation.​​

​Yes, the tool has been updated to reflect the new methodology.​​


Scope of the Analysis

Employees in the executive branch, with the exception of the Secretary of State's Office, are within scope of this project. This includes represented, unrepresented, and management service as well as limited duration employees. ​

Employees are asked to update their Workday profile by December 31, 2023. These updates should reflect experience, both paid and unpaid (including the employee's current position), education (including whether a degree was received and field of study), and/or professional certifications. Employees are grouped by classification and then data analytics are used to determine the relationship between seniority, experience, education, and compensation to identify salary placement. ​​

​Yes, all employees in the executive branch, with the exception of the Secretary of State's Office and employees in management and executive service with the Oregon State Treasury should update their Workday profile information.​

Yes, all employees in the executive branch not at the top step of their salary range, with the exception of the Secretary of State's, are within scope of this project. ​

Yes, all employees in the executive branch not at the top step of their salary range, with the exception of the Secretary of State's Office, are within scope of this project. ​

No, the purpose of the equal pay analysis is to ensure that individuals are compensated at equitable levels relative to others in their same job classification and who have similar seniority, experience, and education. If you believe your job is not in the correct classification, you may contact your agency Human Resource office or local union representative for information about requesting a classification review. ​

​All employee data was pulled on January 10, 2024. Employees who were hired or changed positions from January 10, 2024, through May 31, 2024, will be reviewed separately. More information to come.  ​​

Appeals

Yes, all employees can appeal their Equal Pay Analysis determination. Information about the appeals process and deadlines will be shared with all employees in the Spring of 2024. ​​​

Salary Adjustments

June 1, 2024, is the effective date of any pay adjustments.  Those receiving an increase will see the increase on their August 1, 2024, paycheck.​

​No, employees cannot be paid above the top step of their salary range. ​

No. The methodology has changed and how equitable pay is determined using the bona fide factors resulted in your increase. Your previous pay was reflective of the previous methodology, which complied with law.​​

If you were identified as receiving an increase, you will get a notification in July 2024 and should see the increase on your August 1, 2024 paycheck. The effective date of your increase is June 1, 2024.​​

Updating Profile Information

Workday is our current system of record and is used to pull data during this analysis. You can update your Workday profile information using the knowledge article :  Career Information . ​

Job Profile

​Yes, please note the work out of class assignment and include your duties in your job history. Please don’t forget to include effective dates.​​

You can add a job history item and indicate you are on job rotation. Be sure to include the classification name, duties, and the dates. ​

Miscellaneous

​​​​​If you are a represented employee, please follow the process outlined in your Collective Bargaining Agreement​.

If you are an unrepresented employee, please refer to State HR Policy 20.005.10 (Pay Practices)​ for steps you can take.

Quick Links

Equal Pay Main Page >

Equal Pay Assessments >

Contact Us

chro.payequity@das.oregon.gov