The Gender Pay Gap is the difference in the average hourly wage of men and women across a workforce.   

The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 is now law and requires organisations to report on their hourly gender pay gap across a range of metrics.  Regulations are due to be published which will set out the details on how these calculations will be made. Initially, organisations with over 250 employees will have to report on their gender pay gap in 2022, extending to over 50 employees by 2025.  

Employers will choose a ‘snapshot’ date in June 2022 and will base their reporting on a headcount of all persons employed by them on the snapshot date, including employees not rostered to work on that date and employees on leave.

Employers will then have six months to make the relevant calculations and prepare their report, which should be published on the equivalent date in December 2022.

The Regulations will 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.  Employers will be required to publish their report and statement in a manner easily accessible to the public, such as on their website.  Plans are in place to develop an online reporting system for the 2023 reporting cycle.

Employers will have to report on:

1. The difference between the mean hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender and that of employees of the female gender expressed as a percentage of the mean hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender.
2. The difference between the median hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender and that of employees of the female gender expressed as a percentage of the median hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender.
3. The difference between the mean bonus remuneration of employees of the male gender and that of employees of the female gender expressed as a percentage of the mean bonus remuneration of employees of the male gender.
4. The difference between the median bonus remuneration of employees of the male gender and that of employees of the female gender expressed as a percentage of the median bonus remuneration of employees of the male gender.
5. The difference between the mean hourly remuneration of part-time employees of the male gender and that of part-time employees of the female gender expressed as a percentage of the mean hourly remuneration of part-time employees of the male gender.
6. The difference between the median hourly remuneration of part-time employees of the male gender and that of part-time employees of the female gender expressed as a percentage of the median hourly remuneration of part-time employees of the male gender.
7. The percentage of all employees of the male gender who were paid bonus remuneration and the percentage of all employees of the female gender who were paid such remuneration.
8. The percentage of all employees of the male gender who received benefits in kind and the percentage of all employees of the female gender who received such benefits.
9. The difference between the mean hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender on temporary contracts and that of employees of the female gender on such contracts expressed as a percentage of the mean hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender.
10. The difference between the median hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender on temporary contracts and that of employees of the female gender on such contracts expressed as a percentage of the median hourly remuneration of employees of the male gender.
11. The respective percentages of all employees who fall within each of

• (i)     The lower remuneration quartile pay band.
• (ii)    The lower middle remuneration quartile pay band.
• (iii)    The upper middle remuneration quartile pay band, or
• (iv)   the upper remuneration quartile pay band, who are of the male gender and who are of the female gender.

ICTU’s position, which IFUT will take, is that employers must discuss the gap with workers and their representatives and agree a joint approach to tackling any gaps identified in an effective manner.

IFUT has participated in ICTU training, funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), on Gender Pay Gap Reporting and Audits.  Through this work a toolkit to assist Union representatives is being developed and IFUT will roll this out to our Branch representatives in due course.  

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has published a detailed guidance document on how to calculate Gender Pay Gap metrics, while we await the publication of the official Regulations which will be the legal basis for reporting.

The Department has also published a FAQs document for Employers which answers some of the queries that employees may also have.