Equal Pay at ABN AMRO: gender pay gap is shrinking

News article
CHRO Suzanne van Niekerk sits on a bench in the office and smiles at the camera. Behind her, three colleagues are faintly visible.
CHRO Suzanne van Niekerk sits on a bench in the office and smiles at the camera. Behind her, three colleagues are faintly visible.
Article tags:
  • Diversity and inclusion

It’s no secret that there’s a gender pay gap. As the employer of a workforce of over 20,000, ABN AMRO is pursuing an active policy to close this gap, both within the bank and outside it. Because we believe equal opportunities and equal pay go hand in hand. We also conduct research every year on equal pay at ABN AMRO. "Fortunately, the difference in pay for men and women has been close to 0 percent for years. But we are not there yet," says Chief HR Officer Suzanne van Niekerk-De Veld.

Today, on Equal Pay Day, we published the results of our annual equal pay research. Read on to learn more.

  • Women and men at ABN AMRO doing the same job or working at the same job level under the collective labour agreement (CLA) receive equal pay.

  • The difference has been close to 0 percent for years, and at the moment it works out at 25 euros gross per month more for men. At times, the difference has favoured women. In other words, men and women employed by the bank earn the same for the same work.

  • Women are still underrepresented in higher salary scales. To remedy this, the bank actively promotes the advancement of women to higher salary scales.

  • In January 2022, ABN AMRO switched to a stricter remuneration policy for positions above the CLA. This new system works well: the pay difference between men and women at the top has dropped from 13 percentage points in 2022 to 5 percentage points today. If we then take into account factors such as experience, the difference is 2 percentage points.

  • We promote diversity at all job levels in various ways. We’re looking closely at the processes around job applications, such as how to formulate job requirements in vacancy texts. Currently, we are also researching the obstacles young parents face in balancing work and family, and what we as an employer can do to alleviate these.

CHRO Suzanne van Niekerk: "I am proud to see that we are doing really well in terms of equal pay. This issue is important to me personally – as the mother of two daughters, I hope for a future where equality, in the broadest sense of the word, is the norm in the workplace. For my own daughters and for all other young women. Although we are not there yet, these results give me inspiration to continue our work on promoting an inclusive and fair society."

Curious to see the full study?

  • You can read it here.

  • Here you can read more about what ABN AMRO is doing to close the pay gap, both within and outside the bank.