Transparency data

DBS Gender Pay Gap Report 2024

Published 11 March 2025

1. Context

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) prioritises equality, diversity, and inclusion to ensure its services are accessible and inclusive for the public and employers. A diverse workforce that reflects the public we serve, with appropriate gender balance at all levels, is essential to achieving this vision.

This report outlines the progress made in 2023-2024, when the mean gender pay gap reduced and was the lowest it has been since 2021. The median gender pay gap also reduced (see summary in paragraph 1.4, and details in section 4 and 5). The success of recent DBS pay strategies has contributed positively to both the mean and median pay gaps and this is also set out in section 5. The report further examines the key drivers influencing the gender pay gap, and presents a robust action plan to sustain and build on these achievements.

DBS remains committed to reducing the gender pay gap through an approach that extends beyond pay structures. Our strategy includes improving working conditions, addressing female-specific challenges, and fostering an inclusive workplace. The action plan, summarised in section 9, reflects our continued dedication to these priorities.

For 2023-24, DBS’ mean gender pay gap reduced by 2.26% to 5.83% (8.09% in 2023). This compares with the Home Office’s mean gender pay gap of 6.7% and Cabinet Office’s gap of 8.8%. DBS’ mean pay gap is the lowest since 2021 (3.93%). The median pay gap has reduced by 1.16% to –1.13% (0.03% in 2023).

2. Background

The gender pay gap measures the average pay difference between male and female employees across all roles in an organisation. This report presents the gender pay gap analysis for DBS as of 31 March 2024.

A high gender pay gap may indicate underlying issues within an organisation, with detailed calculations offering insight into potential areas for improvement.

Under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, all organisations with over 250 employees must publicly report their gender pay gap data.

The regulations require employers to publish: - their mean gender pay gap in hourly pay - their median gender pay gap in hourly pay - their mean bonus gender pay gap - their median bonus gender pay gap - the proportion of male and female employees receiving a bonus payment - the proportion of male and female employees in each pay quartile

As a public sector body, DBS must publish its gender pay gap data annually by 31 March, using a snapshot date of 31 March in the preceding year.

All calculations follow the requirements outlined in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.

Reports will be published on the DBS website for a minimum of three years.

Beyond meeting regulatory requirements, this report analyses gender pay gap data in detail and updates the plan introduced in the previous reporting period.

Gender pay gap reporting aims to promote greater transparency and pay equality across the UK. It is distinct from equal pay, which ensures that men and women are paid equally for performing the same or equivalent roles.

DBS acknowledges that gender identity is not limited to male or female categories. While reporting regulations require binary categorisation, DBS values and supports colleagues of all gender identities.

Employees are included in the calculations as “full-pay relevant” if they receive their full usual pay during the snapshot period. Those receiving less than their usual pay due to leave (e.g., statutory sick or maternity leave) are excluded.

3. Workforce profile

As of 31 March 2024, DBS employed 1,346 individuals, of which 847 (63%) identified as female and 499 (37%) identified as male. A slight shift from 2023, when the workforce comprised 62% female and 38% male employees.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 provide a detailed breakdown of the DBS workforce by headcount, gender distribution, and percentage splits across grades, comparing data from 2023 to 2024.

3.1 Figure 1: DBS workforce (headcount)

Grade	31 March 2023		31 March 2024
	Headcount	%	Headcount	%
Administrative Officer (AO)	425	33%	419	31%
Executive Officer (EO)	306	24%	330	25%
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)	343	27%	377	28%
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)	103	8%	109	8%
Grade 7	81	6%	79	6%
Grade 6	26	2%	22	2%
Senior Civil Servant (SCS)*	10	1%	10	1%
	1294		1346

*Public servants at SCS equivalent grades

3.2 Figure 2: DBS workforce by gender (headcount)

Grade	31 March 2023		31 March 2024		Shift
	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
AO	256	169	256	163	0	-6
EO	208	98	211	119	+3	+21
HEO	228	115	264	113	+36	-2
SEO	57	46	60	49	+3	+3
Grade 7	38	43	41	38	+3	-5
Grade 6	13	13	13	9	0	-4
SCS*	3	7	2	8	-1	+1
	803	491	847	499	+44	+8
	1294		1346		+52

*Public servants at SCS equivalent grades

3.3 Figure 3: DBS workforce by gender (percentage splits)

Grade	31 March 2023		31 March 2024		Shift
	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
AO	60%	40%	61%	39%	+1%	-1%
EO	68%	32%	64%	36%	-4%	+4
HEO	66%	34%	70%	30%	+4%	-4%
SEO	55%	45%	55%	45%	0%	0%
Grade 7	47%	53%	52%	48%	+5%	-5%
Grade 6	50%	50%	59%	41%	+9%	-9%
SCS*	30%	70%	20%	80%	-10%	+10%
	62%	38%	63%	37%	+1%	-1%

*Public servants at SCS equivalent grades

3.4 Information shown in figures 1 to 3:

The information in figures 1, 2 and 3 shows that:

• 84% of the workforce is employed at AO, EO, and HEO level

• at AO grade, 61% of employees are female and 39% are male
• at EO grade, 64% of employees are female and 36% are male
• at HEO grade, 70% of employees are female and 30% are male
• at SEO grade, 55% of employees are female and 45% are male
• at Grade 7, 52% of employees are female and 48% are male
• at Grade 6, 59% of employees are female and 41% are male
• for 2024, in Grade 7, Grade 6, and SCS roles, 50% of employees were female at these grades (56 out of 111) - this is a 4 % increase from 2023, when there were 54 female employees out of a total of 117 (46%)

3.5 Insight one:

Females, comprising 63% of the workforce, positively skew the overall pay distribution

• Female representation in the workforce increased from 62% in 2023 to 63% in 2024
• Females dominate the lower and middle quartiles, making up 67% of the upper middle quartile and 70% of HEO roles

Impact: This structural imbalance provides a baseline advantage for reducing the gender pay gap, though it does not fully address differences at higher levels of pay or mean gender pay disparities.

3.6 Insight two:

Senior female departures (SCS/G6) had less impact than expected due to reconfigured roles and broader workforce changes.

• SCS male representation increased by 10% (from 70% in 2023 to 80% in 2024), reflecting the impact of a single staff change in a small cohort
• Female representation in Grade 6 increased by 9%, offsetting some of the effects of senior female departures. This increased due to the departure of 4 male G6s

Impact: While senior female departures influence the mean pay gap, this effect is small as it is diluted by overall workforce adjustments.

3.7 Insight three:

Recruitment at higher grades continues to reduce the gender pay gap.

• Female representation increased by 5% at Grade 7, 9% at Grade 6, and 4% at HEO
• DBS has attracted colleagues on promotion and transfer

Impact: These changes contribute moderately to narrowing the mean pay gap by increasing female representation in higher-paid positions.

4. Mean gender pay gap

As of 31 March 2024, the mean hourly pay for male employees was £17.46, compared to £16.44 for female employees. This represents a mean gender pay gap of 5.83%, meaning male employees earned, on average, £1.02 per hour more than female employees.

This marks a significant improvement from 2023, when the mean gender pay gap was 8.09%, equating to a decrease of 2.26 percentage points over the past year. The trend is illustrated in figure 4.

The mean pay gap has fluctuated in recent years, influenced by factors such as organisational changes, recruitment at higher grades, and workforce composition. While the gap increased significantly between 2019 and 2023, the latest reduction reflects the impact of our action plan.

4.1 Figure 4: Mean pay gap

Year	Mean
2024	5.83%
2023	8.09%
2022	6.77%
2021	3.93%
2020	2.90%
2019	2.00%
2018	3.50%
2017	5.50%

5. Median gender pay gap

The median hourly rate of pay for male employees was £14.62 per hour and for female employees, it was £14.78 per hour. This means that male employees earned an average of 17 pence per hour less than female employees, which equates to a difference of -1.13%.  This has decreased from 0.03% last year.

5.1 Insight four:

Clustering of females at the median pay levels narrows the gap.

• Females represent 67% of employees in the upper middle quartile, significantly above their overall workforce representative share of 63% and 60% of employees in the upper quartile
• Median pay gap reduced to -1.13%, showing that female’s pay at the middle is now slightly higher than men’s

Impact: The success of recent pay strategies, such as increasing salaries for lower-paid employees in each grade and enabling advancement further into pay bands, has led to more female clustering at median pay levels. This has contributed positively to both the mean and median pay gaps.

6. Proportion of male and female employees receiving bonuses

DBS offers in-year reward and recognition awards to employees. These are awarded in the form of vouchers or through salary. Both are included for the purpose of gender pay gap calculations.

Out of 851 female employees, 465 received a bonus which equates to 54.6%.  Out of 503 male employees, 239 received a bonus which equates to 47.5%.

7. Gender bonus gap

The mean gender bonus gap (difference between male and female employees) is 8.5% with male employees being awarded more and the median gender bonus gap is 0.00%. This is shown in figure 5.

This varies year on year on a demand / activity basis and is tested for equality impacts annually. Within the delegated grades rewards and recognition scheme (AO to Grade 6) there is a gap of 6%.

7.1 Figure 5: Mean and median bonus gap

Year	Mean bonus gap	Median bonus gap
2024	8.5%	0.00%
2023	27.8%	0.00%
2022	-1.26%	0.00%
2021	-6.00%	0.00%
2020	36.60%	33.30%
2019	11.30%	0.00%
2018	7.00%	-50.00%
2017	7.20%	36.80%

7.2 Insight five:

More women received bonuses, positively impacting the pay gap.

• 54.6% of female employees received bonuses, compared to 47.5% of male employees

Impact: The broader inclusion of female employees in bonus awards offsets differences in the average bonus amount.

8. Hourly pay quartiles

As of 31 March 2024, DBS employed 1,346 individuals, of whom 1,338 were full-pay relevant employees. These employees are distributed across four pay quartiles, each containing approximately 334 employees.

The hourly rates that represent each quartile are as follows: - Upper - relates to hourly rates of £17.01 and above - Upper middle - relates to the hourly rates of £14.75 to £17.01 - Lower middle - relates to the hourly rates of £13.58 to £14.74 - Lower - relates to hourly rates up to £13.55

Some quartiles (e.g. upper and upper middle) feature slightly overlapping rates due to the nature of how the guidance segregates the hourly pay quartiles.

Quartile	Female employees	Female employees %	Male employees	Male employees %
Upper	200	60%	134	40%
Upper middle	226	67%	109	33%
Lower middle	205	61%	129	39%
Lower	208	62%	127	38%

The highest percentage of female employees is in the upper middle quartile (67%), whilst the highest for male employees is in the upper quartile (40%).

The lowest percentage of female employees is in the upper quartile (60%) and the lowest percentage of male employees is in the upper middle quartile (33%).

The data highlights that, within all quartiles, the proportion of male and female employees compares closely to their workforce representation. Across all three quartiles, with the difference no more than 4%.

On average, there is a slightly higher proportion of male employees in the upper pay quartile than female employees compared to their workforce representation (approximately 3%).

8.1 Insight six:

Male overrepresentation in the highest pay quartile declines.

• Males represent 40% of the upper quartile, down from 43% in 2023
• Females represent 60% of the upper quartile, aligning more closely with their overall workforce share of 63%
• Females dominate the upper middle quartile, making up 67% of employees.

Impact: The overrepresentation of males in the upper quartile is diluted and strong female presence in the upper middle quartile contribute to narrowing the gender pay gap. This reflects the success of internal promotions, with 62 females promoted in 2024 compared to 28 males.

9. Key insights summary

Several factors have influenced the gender pay gap at DBS in 2024, resulting in significant progress in both the mean and median gender pay gaps.

The table below summarises the key influences, their estimated effect size, and the direction of their impact:

Key Factor	Probably Effect Size	Impact Direction
Clustering at the Median	Significant	Positive
Overall Workforce Composition	Moderate	Positive
Upper Quartile Male Representation	Largely insignificant	Positive
Bonus Distribution	Small	Positive
Senior Female Departures	Small	Negative
Recruitment at Higher Grades	Moderate	Positive

By identifying these influences and their estimated relative effect sizes, DBS can continue to refine its action plan and sustain progress toward pay equity.

10. Action Plan Summary

10.1 Commitment to pay equality and diversity:

DBS is committed to fostering pay equality and inclusivity through robust policies and practices. This commitment is evidenced by continuous monitoring of equality within the workforce and a comprehensive diversity and inclusion plan. The actions outlined below build on our proven success while addressing areas for improvement.

10.2 Scope for improvement and ongoing actions:

This action plan focuses on three key themes to drive further progress.

10.3 Theme one: Equal pay and continuous analysis

DBS will continue to prioritise equal pay through evidence-based strategies and systematic monitoring. Annual equal pay audits will identify opportunities for improvement, while the pay remit process ensures fair reward structures.

Ongoing and existing actions:

• Publish gender pay gap data transparently, alongside sector comparisons
• Maintain an evidence-based approach to pay strategies, focusing on reducing disparities within pay bands
• Conduct year-on-year gender pay gap analyses to continue to inform action planning
• The DBS Strategic Leadership Team will review this data and monitor the progress of actions within our plan

10.4 Theme two: Culture and visible leadership

DBS will support and empower female colleagues to rise into leadership positions while celebrating their contributions and achievements across the organisation.

Ongoing and existing actions:

• Support female employees in advancing and promoting female careers through initiatives such as our Women in Tech network
• Support female colleagues to have visibility in champion roles and leadership roles related to key DBS initiatives such as DBS Strategy and important causes like protected characteristics
• Use staff survey insights to target actions that strengthen organisational culture
• Facilitate high-quality development opportunities, including workshops, mentoring, and leadership programmes

New actions:

• ’OneDBS Futures’ Succession Planning: Formalise and revitalise career and development pathways to ensure robust succession planning and stimulate personal development discussions

10.5 Theme three: Inclusive employer

DBS remains dedicated to creating a flexible and inclusive work environment that supports all colleagues, particularly female employees, who may face greater external responsibilities.

Ongoing and existing actions:

• Ensure recruitment campaigns use inclusive language to attract diverse talent, particularly for senior roles
• Promote coaching and leadership development to empower colleagues to advance confidently

New actions:

• Flexible working for all - as part of the DBS strategy, expand the options for flexible working to promote work-life balance and ensure an inclusive workplace for all

Monitoring and evaluation:

Progress on these actions will be reviewed regularly, with updates shared through internal governance channels to ensure transparency and accountability.

11.  Conclusion

11.1 Progress achieved:

DBS has significantly reduced its mean gender pay gap from 8.09% in 2023 to 5.83% in 2024, while the median pay gap has reversed to -1.13%. These results surpass the UK public sector average of 14.3%, reflecting meaningful progress towards pay equity.

11.2 Key drivers:

Improvements stem from increased female representation in higher-paid roles, targeted pay strategies, and equitable access to bonuses. Workforce profile adjustments and internal promotions have further supported this progress.

11.3 Commitment to equity:

DBS remains dedicated to fostering inclusivity through transparent reporting, robust initiatives, and ongoing action. By sustaining this momentum, we aim to build on these achievements and maintain our leadership in pay equity.