Young women are closing the gender wage gap in some U.S. cities, research shows

Though nationally women still earn 82 cents for every dollar a man makes, new data indicates younger women are now making strides in closing the gender wage gap in select cities across the country.

Pew Research published an analysis of Census Bureau data that found the gender wage gap is narrower among younger workers nationally and that the gap varies across geographical areas. In 22 of 250 U.S. metropolitan areas, women under the age of 30 earn the same amount as or more than their male counterparts.  READ MORE

CEO Salaries Tick People Off. So Why Isn't Executive Pay a Marketing Liability?

Those of us old enough to remember the financial meltdown of 2008 might also recall the final, disgraceful chapter of it. It wasn’t just that 9 million people lost their jobs; it was that the financial institutions that had traded all those securities based on subprime mortgages—and then been bailed out by the federal government—proceeded to dole out $20 billion in bonuses to their senior executives.

“That is the height of irresponsibility,” President Obama said early in 2009 in a rare moment of public choler. “It is shameful.” READ MORE

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Fleeting and Lasting Impact on Executive Compensation

The 2021 proxy season was dominated by COVID-19. Close to half of Standard & Poor (S&P) 500 companies took some type of COVID-19-related action in 2020, including base salary reductions, modifications to incentive plan targets, and the grant of special awards.

Despite the significant upheaval in compensation, financial results, and stock price performance during 2020, shareholders supported 97.3% of Say on Pay votes among Russell 3000 companies through November 30, 2021, with strong average support of 92.2%. Sixty-two companies—or 2.7%—failed Say on Pay, including some large, “name-brand” companies. The reasons for these high-profile failures can be primarily attributed to several factors including the use of positive discretion in determining annual incentive payouts, modifications to in-flight long-term incentive (LTI) awards, grants of “out-sized” stock awards without a compelling rationale, and a disconnect between pay and performance. READ MORE

NYC Commission Issues Guidance Regarding Minimum and Maximum Salaries in Job Postings

The New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) published long-awaited guidance regarding New York City’s salary disclosure law, which requires employers to post the anticipated “minimum and maximum salary” in job advertisements. The law, which was passed on December 15, 2021, and takes effect on May 15, 2022, requires employers to include a “good faith” salary range in any external or internal job posting, as well as a promotion or transfer opportunity. READ MORE

Equal Pay Day Heralds New Executive Order and OFCCP Directive

On Equal Pay Day (March 15, 2022), President Biden issued an executive order aimed at advancing the effectiveness in federal contracting by promoting pay equity and transparency in tandem with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) first formal directive (DIR 2022-01) during the Biden administration on pay equity in federal contractors. The directive addresses the OFCCP’s position on obtaining compensation related documents sought during the agency’s audits, which includes pay equity review. READ MORE

Proxy Season 2022: Early Trends in Executive Compensation

The 2022 proxy season is now in full swing. Over the next two months, thousands of U.S. public companies will file proxy statements highlighting trends pertaining to their governance practices, including those related to executive compensation. In this post, Equilar examines a sample of early DEF14A proxy filings from Equilar 500 companies—the 500 largest U.S. public companies by revenue—as of March 18, 2022, to offer a preview of how executive compensation was structured in 2021, as well as key trends to watch through the remainder of proxy season. READ MORE