40% of firms in Ireland with between 50 and 149 employees are unaware of their legal obligation to report on gender pay disparities.
40% of firms in Ireland with between 50 and 149 employees are unaware of their legal obligation to report on gender pay disparities.
A survey by HRLocker ahead of International Women’s Day of 100 senior HR professionals in businesses of all sizes across Ireland found that smaller firms are dangerously behind with many at risk of non-compliance.
“Now is the time to get ahead of this, before reporting deadlines catch businesses unprepared”
Companies of 250-plus employees and 150-plus employees have been reporting since 2022 and 2024 respectively.
In businesses with 250-plus staff, 80% of HR leaders say they feel fully prepared for reporting requirements.
For businesses between 150 and 249 staff, 70% claim to be prepared, yet many (33%) lack confidence in their reporting accuracy.
But for firms with between 50 and 149 staff, only 40% are aware of the upcoming requirement, and 58% have no idea how to collect the necessary data.
Inspiring inclusion
“International Women’s Day is about inspiring inclusion, but our research shows that many Irish businesses still don’t fully grasp the scale of gender pay disparity—or their legal obligation to report it,” said Crystel Rynne, CEO at HRLocker.
“Larger companies have had two years to adjust, but many smaller firms are completely oblivious to the regulation. The fact that over half of the smaller companies we surveyed don’t know where to start is a real concern.”
With the reporting deadline looming, HRLocker’s research found that 65% of HR leaders in businesses with 50-149 employees have never conducted a gender pay analysis, making them the most vulnerable to compliance risks.
To comply, businesses must:
- Identify all employees at a specified reporting date
- Gather and analyse pay data, including salaries, bonuses, and overtime
- Convert pay figures into hourly rates to ensure fair comparisons
- Prepare a written report explaining any gender pay gap and outlining actions to address it
“The expectation for smaller businesses isn’t to achieve perfect equality overnight, but to demonstrate awareness of any disparities and show that they’re taking concrete steps to close the gap,” said Rynne.
“At HRLocker, we know that one of the biggest challenges for businesses – especially smaller ones – is simply accessing and assessing the data needed for Gender Pay Gap reporting. That’s why we provide tools and guidance to help companies identify pay disparities, understand the root causes, and take action.
“We’ve also made our own Gender Pay Gap report publicly available to give businesses a clear example of what’s required. Now is the time to get ahead of this, before reporting deadlines catch businesses unprepared.”
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