As of June 1, 2025, any Irish employer with 50+ employees must publish a gender pay gap report under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021. This article explains exactly what you need to know—and do—so you can comply on time and turn reporting into a force for positive change.
1. Who’s In Scope (and When)
2022–2023: Private and public employers with 250+ employees reported.
June 1, 2024: Threshold dropped to 150+ employees.
June 1, 2025: All organisations with 50+ employees must report.
By June 2025, any company with fifty or more staff on the payroll must choose a “snapshot date” in June and publish a detailed gender pay gap report (data + narrative) by the same date in December.
2. What to Publish
On or before your chosen June snapshot date, gather and calculate figures for the previous 12 months (e.g., June 2024–May 2025):
Mean & Median Hourly Pay Gap (male vs. female)
Mean & Median Bonus Pay Gap (male vs. female), plus bonus participation rates
Proportion Receiving Benefits-in-Kind (e.g., company car, health insurance) by gender
Gender Distribution in Pay Quartiles (split into lower, lower-middle, upper-middle, upper)
Written Narrative explaining:
Root Causes of any gaps (e.g., occupational clustering, career breaks, seniority imbalances)
Action Plans (e.g., mentoring programmes, flexible working policies, unconscious-bias training)
All data and commentary must be publicly accessible—either on your website (e.g., under “Diversity & Inclusion”) or as a hard-copy at your principal place of business.
3. Key Deadlines & Timeline
Action | Deadline (Example) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Select Snapshot Date in June 2025 | By June 30, 2025 | Common choices: June 15 or June 30 |
Collect & Analyse Data | June 2025 – December 2025 | Extract pay, bonus, benefits, gender and contract data |
Publish Report (Data + Narrative) | By December (snapshot date) | E.g., snapshot June 15 → report due December 15 |
Stakeholder Review & Sign-Off | Ongoing until publication | Engage leadership, HR, payroll and employee representatives |
4. Actionable Steps for Employers
Plan Data Collection Early
Work with HR & Payroll to extract:
Total hourly remuneration (base pay + allowances)
Bonus payments (cash or share-based)
Benefits-in-kind values (e.g., car, health cover)
Employee details: role, gender, contract type, working hours
Segment Employees into Quartiles
Rank all staff by hourly pay, divide into four equal groups, then calculate % of men vs. women in each quartile.
This reveals if female staff are over-represented in lower-paying roles.
Calculate Mean & Median Gaps
Mean Pay Gap: (Average male pay – Average female pay) ÷ Average male pay × 100
Median Pay Gap: (Median male pay – Median female pay) ÷ Median male pay × 100
Repeat for bonus data and calculate bonus participation gap (the % of each gender receiving any bonus).
Draft Your Narrative
Explain Gaps: Are women concentrated in lower-paid roles? Do career breaks or part-time patterns affect the data? Are leadership roles male-dominated?
Outline Actions: Mentoring for women, structured promotion paths, flexible-working policies (e.g., remote/hybrid, carer’s leave), unconscious-bias training for hiring managers. Ensure each action has a measurable KPI (e.g., “Increase female representation in upper quartile by 5% within 12 months”).
Engage Stakeholders
Senior Leadership Sign-Off: CFO or CEO must certify data accuracy.
Employee Representatives: Consult with trade-union or equality reps on methodology to avoid mandatory “joint pay assessments.”
IT & Payroll Teams: Confirm your systems can segment and export the required fields by gender, pay band and bonus.
Publish Transparently
Host the full report (data tables + narrative) on your website under a clear “Gender Pay Gap” or “D&I” page.
Circulate an internal summary: a simple infographic highlighting key metrics (overall % gap, quartile distribution).
Hold a Q&A session or webinar to discuss findings and next steps—demonstrate your genuine commitment to pay equity.
5. Beyond Compliance: Strategic Benefits
Employer Branding: Transparency on pay equity attracts top talent—especially female candidates who value fairness.
Employee Engagement: Sharing data and action plans increases trust, reduces attrition and boosts morale.
Risk Mitigation: By self-reporting and addressing gaps early, you avoid negative press or employee claims.
Future-Proofing: EU regulations and investor expectations are moving toward greater pay transparency. Companies that act now gain a competitive edge
6. Quick Checklist
Select Your June Snapshot Date (e.g., June 15).
Form a Cross-Functional Team: HR lead, Payroll lead, Data analyst, Legal advisor, Equality officer.
Audit Data Sources: Confirm payroll fields capture gender, basic pay, bonuses, benefits and contract status.
Conduct a Dry Run: Use May 2025 data to identify system gaps and data-quality issues.
Calculate Pay & Bonus Gaps: Mean and median differences, bonus participation rates.
Segment into Pay Quartiles: Identify pay distribution by gender.
Draft Narrative & Actions: Root causes + measurable pay-equity initiatives.
Consult Stakeholders: Share methodology with employee reps, secure senior sign-off.
Publish by December (Snapshot Date): Host full report online, share internal infographic, hold info session.
June 1, 2025 marks a crucial milestone: all Irish employers with 50+ employees must publish gender pay gap data. But compliance is only the first step. By planning carefully, engaging stakeholders and embedding pay-equity initiatives into your HR strategy, you can transform reporting into a driver for engagement, brand strength, and long-term retention.
Start your dry run today: pull last year’s June snapshot data, convene your project team, and map out the six-month timeline. If you need expert support with HR analytics, pay benchmarking or narrative development, we’re here to help.
Contact Matrix Recruitment for a free consultation on how to integrate gender pay gap reporting into your broader talent strategy.
