Employers in Ireland with 50 or more employees will be required to report periodically and publish information on their gender pay gap under measures amending the Employment Equality Act 1998 that passed the Oireachtas (Ireland’s parliament) on 7 Jul 2021. Reporting obligations will be phased-in, likely starting in 2022 for employers with 250 or more employees, two years after publication of the regulations for employers with 150 or more employees, and three years after publication of the regulations for employers with 50 or more employees. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not required to report. The government confirmed that upcoming regulations will give effect to the measures, and will be in force by the end of 2021.
Several details are unclear — for example, the publication date of the first gender pay reports is unknown. However, employers should prepare by determining if they have a gender pay gap, the reasons for the gap, and their actions to address it.