Equal work and categories of workers
Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Article 4: pay structures use objective, gender-neutral criteria so workers can be compared. Skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions are the named criteria.
Article 4
Pay structures
Article 4 requires Member States to ensure that employers have pay structures so that equal pay is given for equal work or work of equal value. The structures must make it possible to assess whether workers are in a comparable situation as to the value of work.
Criteria
The criteria are objective and gender-neutral. They are agreed with workers’ representatives where such representatives exist. They are not based directly or indirectly on sex. They include skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions, and, if appropriate, other factors relevant to the specific job. They are applied in an objective gender-neutral manner.
Why categories matter later
Article 9 reporting and Article 10 joint pay assessment both use categories of workers. A category is the group of workers doing the same work or work of equal value, grouped under those criteria. This page does not publish a job-evaluation method.
Related
Source
Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency (adopted 2023-05-10)
Update log
- 2026-10-16 — First published from Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2023/970.
Informational only. This is not legal advice and not a statement of national law. Statutory claims cite Directive (EU) 2023/970 and carry a last-reviewed date. A Member State duty exists only when that State’s law says so. See the country pages for a dated status snapshot.