EU Pay Transparency Directive: Sweden tasks discrimination ombudsman with preparatory measures

At a glance

• Sweden’s government has tasked the discrimination ombudsman with continuing to take preparatory measures for the implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive).
• The assignment aims to provide greater knowledge of how pay surveys are currently conducted, giving the discrimination ombudsman a better understanding of what support employers need when they are preparing for the Directive's eventual implementation.
• The discrimination ombudsman is required to report back to the government no later than 1 November 2027.

Despite Sweden’s delay in implementing the Directive, the Swedish government is not standing still. It has tasked the discrimination ombudsman with continuing to take preparatory measures for the implementation of the Directive. The assignment also includes carrying out promotional efforts regarding employers' work with pay surveys.

The government has emphasised that it is important to limit the administrative burden on employers in the implementation of the Directive, in part to ensure the greatest possible impact of efforts to combat unjustified pay differences. It considers that the support and promotional measures offered by the discrimination ombudsman need to be well targeted. The assignment aims to provide greater knowledge of how pay surveys are currently conducted and thereby give the discrimination ombudsman a better understanding of what support employers need both in their existing pay survey work and in preparing for the Directive's eventual implementation.

The discrimination ombudsman is required to report back to the government no later than 1 November 2027.

Although the implementation deadline has been pushed back, employers in Sweden should not assume that inaction is appropriate. The government's decision to task the discrimination ombudsman with preparatory and promotional work signals that implementation remains on the agenda, even if the timeline is uncertain.