The gender pay gap for identical roles at the same age has dropped from 2.41% to 1.79% over the past year, according to a study by HR consultancy firm Hudson.
This overall improvement is largely driven by a narrowing gap in lower-level positions, while higher hierarchical levels have seen an increase in pay disparities.
Under an EU directive, Member States will be required to ensure the pay gap does not exceed 5% by 2026.
In Belgium, smaller businesses with up to 250 employees are most likely to exceed this threshold.
The study examined 286,047 salary packages across 951 organisations. It found significant and worsening disparities among mid-level managers (6.95%, up 1.52%) and senior executives (9.72%, up 3.55%).
"While companies increasingly prioritise equal pay, disparities continue to widen at the top. This is because senior roles are more individualised and thus harder to compare than lower-level roles," explained Paul-Etienne Siergist, senior manager at Hudson.
The study also highlighted the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, where they account for only one-third of roles.
However, there is gradual progress: the proportion of women in senior positions increased by 2% last year, reaching 33%.
In traditionally male-dominated sectors like engineering, industry, IT, and construction, only one in five senior executives is a woman.
