Press release
Minister O’Gorman announces introduction of gender pay gap reporting in 2022
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
On International Women’s Day, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, has announced details of the introduction of gender pay gap reporting in Ireland.
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 has introduced the legislative basis for gender pay gap reporting and regulations under the Act will be published in the coming weeks. The regulations will require organisations with over 250 employees to report on their gender pay gap in 2022.
Employers will choose a ‘snapshot’ date of their employees in June 2022 and will report on the hourly gender pay gap for those employees on the same date in December 2022.
The information employers will be asked to include in their report:
Employers are also required to publish a statement setting out, in the employers’ opinion, the reasons for the gender pay gap in their company and what measures are being taken or proposed to be taken by the employer to eliminate or reduce that pay gap.
Minister O’Gorman today said:
“When it comes to participation in the labour market, women face far greater obstacles than men. Persisting gender stereotypes, the glass ceiling preventing women from senior positions, and the fact that women take on a much larger share of family caring responsibilities and unpaid work in the home, are all contributing factors to a significant pay disparity between women and men in Ireland.
“Advancing women’s rights and equality is a priority for this Government, and taking real and effective action to end pay inequality for women must be key to that. The Gender Pay Gap Act requires employers to not only report on the gender pay gap in their organisation, but also places on obligation on employers to provide details of measures being taken to reduce that gap.
“This reporting requirement will help to ensure pay transparency exists in organisations, and will play an important role in achieving gender equality in the workplace. “
ENDS
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 was signed into law on 13th July 2021.
The Act requires the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to make Regulations, requiring employers to publish:
• The mean and median hourly wage gap, the former reflecting the entire pay range in an organisation and the latter excluding the impact of unusually high earners.
• Data on bonus pay.
• The mean and median pay gaps for part-time employees and for employees on temporary contracts.
• The proportions of male and female employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands.
The Regulations will also require employers to publish a statement setting out, in the employers’ opinion, the reasons for the gender pay gap in their company and what measures are being taken or proposed to be taken by the employer to eliminate or reduce that pay gap.
The reporting requirement will initially apply to organisations with 250 or more employees but will extend over time to organisations with 50 or more employees:
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will publish guidance for employers on how gender pay gap calculations should be made.
Plans are also in place to develop an online reporting system for the 2023 reporting cycle.