Half of Irish firms not tackling gender pay gap, new study finds

Some 50% of Irish firms do not have a plan to tackle the gender pay gap. Picture: Philip Toscano/PA Wire

Human resources body CIPD Ireland's Practices in Ireland study found there was only a small improvement by firms to address the gender pay gap compared to a year earlier.

Some 33% said they were calculating the gap in pay in 2019, compared to 30% the previous year.

However, 50% did not have any plan in place to tackle the issue, the report said. 

CIPD Ireland director Mary Connaughton said: “This is a perennial issue in the responses to our surveys and shows that the level of understanding of the realities around Ireland’s gender pay gap still needs improvement. 

This is partly down to the fact that there’s no legal requirement for employers to take action in this area, and proposed legislation is more than a year overdue at this stage.

According to the gender equality division at the Department of Justice, the gender pay gap in 2007 was more than 17%. 

Eurostat figures in 2017 showed that the gender pay gap in Ireland remained at 14.4% a decade on from this, while the gender pay gap across the EU overall was 14.9%.

The 2016 programme for government included commitments to reduce the gender pay gap, increasing investment in childcare, reviewing lower pay of women, gender inequality for senior appointments and requiring companies of 50 or more to complete a wage survey.

A Gender Pay Gap Information Bill was published last year requiring bigger firms to publish their pay discrepancies, but critics at the time said it did not go nearly as far as it should.

The issue now has to be tackled by legislators, Ms Connaughton said.

"We are keenly aware of the many pressures facing the government as we go into the closing months of 2020, but we’re appealing for the coalition to ensure the Gender Pay Gap bill is included on the agenda for the upcoming Oireachtas term.”

The CIPD Ireland report, done in conjunction with the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick, also found that just under half of firms said they aim to create inclusive cultures.

Almost one-fifth have appointed a diversity officer, the report found.

"Given world events in this area in 2020, CIPD Ireland is reminding employers that diversity and inclusion are more important than ever in the rapidly evolving working environment," Ms Connaughton said.