Background
The Oregon Equal Pay Act (ORS 652.220) provides important pay protections for Oregonians and sets specific requirements for employers to restrict:
- Discrimination in pay or other compensation for work of a comparable character based on a protected class such as race, gender, age, or disability
- Setting different compensation levels unless the difference is based entirely on bona fide factors outlined in the law (e.g. seniority, education, experience, etc.)
- Seeking or using an applicant's salary history before making a job offer that includes compensation.
- Screening applicants based on current or past compensation.
- Determining compensation for a position using a prospective employee's previous pay.
Equal Pay Efforts
The State uses two types of reviews to support equal pay compliance in the State government. One helps us understand statewide pay patterns, and the other helps set pay for individual employees. More information on how these reviews are conducted can be found in the Equal Pay FAQs.
A recurring Equal Pay Analysis and individual Equal Pay assessments evaluate employee compensation to ensure it meets Equal Pay Act standards.
Equal Pay Analysis – A statewide analysis is completed every three years to ensure employees are compensated equitably compared to others who perform work of a comparable character. Through this effort, DAS evaluates statewide pay practices, identifies potential wage gaps, and addresses concerns to ensure pay differences are based on bona fide factors provided in the law. Visit DAS Equal Pay Analysis (link to subpage) for information on these efforts.
Employee Pay Assessments (EPAs) – Agencies routinely complete EPAs to apply the DAS Equal Pay Methodology and determine pay for individual employees. Through this process, statewide policies and applicable collective bargaining agreements (CBA) are also considered to ensure the employee's pay is set to the level that provides the best benefit.
The DAS Equal Pay Methodology is a standardized framework to ensure pay decisions comply with Oregon's Equal Pay law. It considers the following factors to promote fairness, transparency, and equity when setting pay:
- Seniority – Time in the employee's current job. Employees receive 1:1 credit (1 year experience = 1 year credit) for time spent in the classification.
- Education – An experience equivalent is given for the highest degree the employee has received (associate, bachelor, master, educational specialist, or doctoral).
- Relevant Prior Experience – Credit is provided for past experience, tasks, and duties relevant to a job in terms of skills or knowledge required. It does not necessarily mean the employee must have worked in the exact role or had the same job title before. Volunteer experience, internships, practicums, and residency may also be considered relevant experience used to determine compensation. Employees receive 2:1 credit (2 years of experience = 1 year of credit) for relevant prior experience.
Employees can find their EPA calculations in their Personal – Documents section on their Workday Profile. For more information about navigating Workday see the Profile Overview Article.
If an employee believes their seniority, education, or prior relevant experience was not credited correctly, they may request a review of their assessment. Find more information on requesting an EPA in the Employee Pay Assessment Resources.
Most recent updates to this page were made on May 4, 2026.