Glossary of terms

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How to use this glossary

This glossary defines the key terms used across the SkillsTrust platform and methodology. Terms are grouped into three sections, and listed A to Z within each:

• Platform terms (how the SkillsTrust product works),
• Job evaluation methodology terms (how jobs are evaluated),
• Regulatory terms (related to the EU Pay Transparency Directive).

Platform terms

Actual pay
The actual amount received by an employee based on actual hours worked during a reporting period, as recorded in payroll.

Contractual pay
Pay defined as in an employment contract (as recorded in HR information systems).

Data refresh
Process of ingesting data for a new reporting period and recalculating analysis outputs based on that data.

Data security controls
Measures used to protect sensitive data and ensure secure handling such as Multi-Factor Authentication.

Data setup
Process of preparing and validating pay and job data for analysis.

Entity
Distinct organisational unit (e.g. company, subsidiary or legal entity) to which employeesare assignedwithin analysis.

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
Standard definition of full-time working hours within an organisation.

Job architecture
Structured framework that organises categories of work of equal value to support pay analysis and reporting.

Location
Defined geographic location used to group and compare employees for analysis and reporting (e.g. country, region, city or site).

Normalised pay (FTE pay)
Pay adjusted to a standard definition of full-time working hours to enable like-for-like comparison across employees.

Outliers
Employees whose pay falls significantly outside the expected range for their category of workers, based on defined thresholds.

Pay components
Individual elements making up total pay, including salary, bonuses and benefits.

Pay dataset
Structured dataset containing employee, job and pay information used for analysis.

Pay gap monitoring
Ongoing tracking of gender pay gaps over time.

Pay gap snapshot
Point-in-time analysis of gender pay gaps used for tracking progress.

Pay risk register
Structured record of identified pay risks, including pay gaps, their underlying drivers, justification status and required actions.

Pay user
User with access to pay data within one or more workspaces on the SkillsTrust platform.

Permissions
Defined levels of system access controlling visibility of job and pay data.

User
Individual with access to the SkillsTrust platform, with permissions determined by assigned role.

SkillsTrust Workspace
Configured environment within the platform where an organisation's data, job architecture and analysis are managed.

Job evaluation methodology terms

Anchor job
A reference job selected as part of a representative cross-section of jobs, used to establish a baseline for job evaluation and determine relativity across roles.

Calibration process
A structured review process in which members of a job evaluation working group, review job evaluation scores, provide feedback, and align on outcomes to ensure consistent application of evaluation criteria.

Complementary pay
All pay elements that are not fixed and guaranteed, including variable, conditional or additional payments such as bonuses, overtime, allowances, benefits in kind and employer pension contributions.

EIGE
European Institute for Gender Equality, publisher of EU-wide Guidelines for Gender Neutral Job Evaluation.

EU-wide Guidelines for Gender Neutral Job Evaluation
Voluntary practical guidelines and toolkit published by EIGE and endorsed by the European Commission to support the implementation of gender-neutral job evaluation and the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value.

Factor
Key criterion used in job evaluation to assess the demands and characteristics of a job; EIGE identifies skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions as the essential factors for gender-neutral job evaluation.

Grouping range
Ranges used to assign jobs to the same group based on each job’s evaluation scores.

Job
Defined set of duties, responsibilities and requirements that constitute a unit of work within an organisation.

Job classification
Process of assigning jobs of equal or similar value into the same group on job evaluation scores.

Job profile
Reference material describing a job within an organisation, including the job’s purpose and requirements in terms of skills, responsibilities, effort and working conditions, used as input for job evaluation.

Job evaluation
Process of assessing the relative value of jobs using objective, gender-neutral criteria.

Job evaluation method
Approach used to evaluate the relative value of jobs, such as classification and point-factor methods.

Job family
Grouping of jobs that require similar types of skills and knowledge.

Job level
Grouping of jobs of equal or similar value within an organisation, determined through job evaluation and used for pay comparison (referred to as "Group" in EIGE job evaluation outputs).

Ordinary pay
Fixed, guaranteed pay for the job, including base salary or wages and any payments that are contractual, regular and not dependent on performance or conditions.

Pay reference period
The defined 12-month period used to measure pay and working hours for analysis.

Pay structure
Framework used to organise and determine how pay is set, progressed and compared across jobs and levels within an organisation.

Point factor method
Analytical job evaluation method in which jobs are assessed against predefined factors and subfactors, each divided into levels with assigned points to determine overall job value.

Subfactor
A specific component that a factor is divided into. Subfactors are what a job is scored against: each one is rated on a scale of levels, and each level carries a set number of points.

Factor plan
A factor plan is a predefined job evaluation framework that sets out the factors, subfactors, scoring scales, weightings, and the formula used to convert scores into groups.

Weighting
Process of assigning greater relative importance to some factors or subfactors than others when determining their numerical value in job evaluation.

Regulatory terms

Category of workers
Group of workers performing the same work or work of equal value based on objective, gender-neutral criteria.

EU Pay Transparency Directive
Directive (EU) 2023/970, adopted on 10 May 2023, which strengthens the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement measures. It gives workers and job applicants the right to pay information, requires gender pay gap reporting, and requires a joint pay assessment where an unjustified pay gap of at least 5% is found. Member States were required to transpose it into national law by 7 June 2026, though national implementation varies.

Gender pay gap
Difference in average pay levels between female and male workers, expressed as a percentage of the average pay level of male workers.

EU Gender pay gap reporting
Process of calculating and disclosing gender pay gap metrics at the company level and across categories of workers.

Factor score
Point value assigned to a job for a factor or subfactor level within the scoring framework used to evaluate jobs.

Job seeker pay transparency
Requirement that applicants for employment receive information about the initial pay or its range before the job interview or otherwise before negotiation of the employment contract.

Joint pay assessment
Process in which the employer, in cooperation with workers' representatives, examines and evaluates differences in average pay levels between female and male workers in each category of workers in order to identify, remedy and prevent unjustified differences in pay.

Objective criteria
Non-discriminatory, gender-neutral factors used to determine job value or pay.

Pay
All remuneration including salary, bonuses and benefits provided directly or indirectly to a worker.

Employee information request
Request by a worker to obtain information on their individual pay level and on the average pay levels, broken down by sex, for categories of workers performing the same work as them or work of equal value to theirs.

Pay level
Gross annual or hourly pay for a worker, used as the basis for comparing pay across individuals and groups.

Work of equal value
Work assessed as equally valuable based on objective criteria such as skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions.

Worker
Individual whose pay is included in pay transparency analysis, typically anyone employed under a contract or employment relationship within the organisation (scope may vary by jurisdiction).

Workers' representatives
Individuals or bodies representing workers in accordance with national law or practice, including those recognised under collective agreements.

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Author: Michelle Dervan   |   Version: 1.1