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Salary survey reveals gender pay differences in franchising sector

Sarah Stowe

A survey on the salaries of franchise professionals has revealed women and men in the industry are not earning equivalent wages.

Griffith University’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Franchising Excellence this week released the findings of the Franchise Sector Salary Survey Report.

The survey splits respondents into key demographics, such as age, education and gender. It also analyses salary levels by examining the size of franchise systems and industry type (retail versus service).

Centre director, Professor Lorelle Frazer, said although the survey had a small sample size it provided some extremely valuable insights into the sector.

“This is the first time that we have focused on breaking down data to examine what people holding key positions in franchises are paid – and to see if there are any glaring disparities between any of the demographics,” Professor Frazer said.

“What is startling, however, is that the salary level of women is significantly lower than men in many of the occupations analysed and to me, that was a shock.”

Frazer said “We believe that this report will prove to be an incredibly interesting read for everyone from CEOs to operations managers, to marketing Professionals and Franchise Accountants.

“It is our intention to generate a report of this type each year, so expect to see more and more data over the next few years.”

The report provides detailed information on the salary levels of:

  • CEO/founder/general managers
  • Franchise development managers
  • Operations managers (including national operations managers, franchise operations – manager, field operations manager, national training managers, state managers)
  • Marketing professionals (including marketing director, coordinator, assistant or manager) ;
  • CFO/accountants
  • Corporate lawyer/ in-house counsel

Key findings include:

  • Salaries were significantly higher in larger franchise systems (50+ franchise units)
  • Salaries were significantly higher for males
  • Salaries were also higher for people with more experience and for those aged over 40 years.
  • Salaries were significantly higher in systems with over $20 million in turnover.
  • 43 percent of salary packaging included bonuses or other incentives with the majority of these in the CEO and national franchise manager roles.

The report is available to purchase from the Centre’s website (www.franchise.edu.au) for $95.00

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