Another successful audit of equal pay at ETH Zurich

The ETH Board commissioned the consulting firm Kienbaum AG with auditing pay equality at the six institutions within the ETH Domain. At ETH Zurich, the analysis was based on 4,722 employee datasets from the ETH Domain salary system as of 1 April 2025.

Descriptive statistics were used to examine the distribution of men and women and average salaries across function levels. Regression analysis determined the adjusted pay gap, controlling for function level/area, years of experience and work location. 

Criteria met, test passed

The analysis shows that all institutions in the ETH Domain meet the cumulative criteria for pay equality, thereby passing the pay equality test with excellent results. The adjusted pay gap for the ETH Domain as a whole is around 0%, well below the tolerance threshold of 5%. 

The deviation across the six institutions ranges from +0.2% to -0.6%. At ETH Zurich, the deviation is -0.2%. This means that the difference between men¡¯s and women¡¯s salaries is negligible when all other conditions are equal. This positive result means that ETH Zurich upholds the principle of ¡°the same pay for the same work¡±, which is enshrined in the Swiss constitution and in the Federal Act on Gender Equality. 

Salary system is applied consistently

The positive results within the ETH Domain can also be attributed to the consistent application of the salary system. In addition to conducting a pay equality review, Kienbaum AG also examined the core components of the salary system and how they are implemented. This analysis was commissioned by the ETH Domain and stems from discussions with social partners and staff commissions.

Kienbaum¡¯s comprehensive audit revealed that the current salary system provides a stable and sustainable foundation for the ETH Domain and that the system¡¯s structure is consistently applied. Recommendations for further optimisation have been made and are currently being implemented.

What was analysed?

The regular equal pay analysis, which ETH Zurich committed to conducting when signed the external page charter for equal pay, included a review of the legal principles of equal treatment. It takes into account job requirements, characteristics of qualifications as well as workplace- and function-related factors in order to identify a possible correlation between salary levels and gender.