XpertHR swoops for Gapsquare in bid to solve gender pay disparity

As the pay gap between male and female executives widens, Gapsquare – a UK startup addressing gender and ethnicity employment disparities – has been acquired by XpertHR for an undisclosed sum.

Through its FairPay Pro platform, Gapsquare says it can identify variables for employee demographics such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability, identifying the causes of pay gaps, and proposing and tracking remedial actions.

Launched in 2017, Gapsquare is among a handful of HR tech startups using machine learning to tackle issues of inequality.

The business provides HR and reward teams with actionable insights about their organization’s existing pay gaps.

Joining forces to fight inequality

“We know for many businesses transparency around compensation, fairness, and pay reporting is high on the agenda.”

Dr. Zara Nanu, Gapsquare co-founder

Nanu told TechCrunch: “Gartner research indicates that more than 80% of businesses globally are driven to take action around pay equity and pay gaps as the workforce is changing and younger generations entering the workforce are increasingly interested in transparency, sustainability, and equality.”

Scott Walker, Managing Director XpertHR – part of RELX – added: “By combining Gapsquare’s advanced technology with XpertHR’s expertise in reward data, we can better equip employers to build a world where work is inclusive, where pay meets value and diverse talent thrives.”

Ongoing fight to close the pay gap

According to recent research by AP and Equilar, female CEO pay dropped 1.9% over the past year, while male CEO packages rose by 5.2%.

Meanwhile, The Pipeline’s Women Count 2021 report found further evidence of gender disparity in financial terms.

“The gender diversity consultancy said the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the achievement of gender parity in FTSE 350 companies’ boardrooms back by four years from 2032 to 2036.

It cited a slowdown in the rate of growth towards having an equal number of men and women in the boardroom of leading firms, from 2.7% in 2020 to 2.5% in 2021.