Key Strategic Employment Issues to Consider for 2022 - #5
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 – Implementation issues loom in 2022.
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 was signed into law on 13 July 2021. The Act, once commenced by ministerial order, will require the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to make regulations requiring private and public sector employers (subject to employment thresholds) to report and publish information relating to their gender pay gap, and, where there is a gap, to explain why there is a gap and what measures are being taken to reduce it. Until these regulations are known there is still uncertainty as to the exact form the publication of gender pay gap information will take. However, we can expect this to be a significant issue for employers in 2022.
The unadjusted gender pay gap in Ireland was 14.4% in 2017, the most recent year for which statistics are currently available from the CSO. This is slightly lower than the EU average. The Gender Pay Gap Act 2021 will require organisations to report on the gender pay differentials in their organisations, setting out pay differences (between the mean and median) between female and male employees. It will include the hourly rate, bonuses and rates applicable to part time male and female employees.
The requirement will initially apply to organisations with 250 or more employees but will extend over time to organisations with 50 or more employees. Organisations will be required to indicate the reasons for any gender pay differentials that are reported.
If you would like to talk to us about any of these issues, or about engaging your people through the period ahead, please get in touch with me at brendan.mcginty@stratis.ie or any one of our Partners.
Brendan McGinty
Managing Partner
Stratis Consulting
‘Strategic Employment Relations’
T: +353 (0) 1 2166302
M: +353 (0) 87 2433038
W: www.stratis.ie Twitter: @Stratisconsult LinkedIn: Follow us here
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for practical guidance only and does not constitute legal or case specific advice. The answers to specific situations will vary depending on the circumstances of each case. This is not a substitute for specific professional advice relevant to individual circumstances facing your business.
