Job evaluation still dominant, says IES

Job evaluation is still very much in evidence as a method of internal pay comparability in the UK, according to this report by the Institute for Employment Studies for the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body. However, its role has shifted to a more supportive one, acting as a defensive barrier to equal pay claims.

Job evaluation schemes have become simpler and faster and a fusion of internal and externally-driven pay determination methods has taken place with the emergence of so-called levelling methodologies.

Key trends identified in the report include:

• more emphasis on accurate job matching in external surveys
• using external market data for a wider range of jobs
• using tailored surveys and data for each role rather than assuming that one source is good for all jobs
• a shift to rewarding technical and specialist skills more clearly in pay structures.

‘A Review of Pay Comparability Methodologies’, by the Institute for Employment Studies on behalf of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, December 2016. Available here for download: www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-review-of-pay-comparability-methodologies