Three-quarters of large Irish companies have wage gaps in favour of men
Goodbody Stockbrokers
, Cantor Fitzgerald, the
Irish Aviation Authority
and Uniphar's Allcare and Hickey's Pharmacy groups were among the 25 companies which reported the highest median
hourly pay gap
between men and women employees last year, according to data collected by PayGap.ie.
Under the
Gender Pay Gap Information Act
, companies with more than 150 employees are required to create and publish a report outlining their gender pay gap across a number of metrics.
Across the data for nearly 750 companies collected by PayGap.ie, approximately three-quarters of companies had a median hourly wage gap in favour of men with the largest disparity at Uniphar's Allcare Pharmacies of 60.4 per cent.
Also among the five largest wage gaps was the Irish Aviation Authority, with a 54 per cent media pay gap, which, it said, 'primarily arises due to lower numbers of females in specialist aviation roles such as pilot and engineering roles, as well as low numbers in managerial roles such as accountable manager or nominated postholder roles.'
READ MORE
Goodbody Stockbrokers had a median hourly wage gap of 46.6 per cent, with its mean standing at 41.5 per cent. Goodbody said that 'fewer females than males continue to occupy the highest paid roles in the firm', with just 15 per cent of its highest paid quartile being women as opposed to 55 per cent of its lowest quartile.
[
Gender pay gap increased at three government departments during 2024
Opens in new window
]
The Irish wing of US investment group Cantor Fitzgerald had mean and median hourly pay gaps of more than 40 per cent, with women making up just 17 per cent of their top 25 per cent of earners despite making up 37 per cent of their total staff.
Of the remaining companies, nearly 20 per cent reported a pay gap in favour of women, with the largest disparity in the Chief State Solicitor's Office which reported a pay gap of 40.18 per cent. The Economic & Social Research Institute found an average median pay gap of 30.9 per cent in favour of women, which it said 'reflects not just the higher proportion of females in senior roles but also the fact that pay scales are wider at senior levels.'
Construction companies made up eight of the 15 companies with the lowest representation of women in the top 25 per cent of earners.
Conversely, 12 of the 15 companies with the lowest representation of men in the lowest quartile of pay, are in the human health and social work activities sector, with women making up between 83.6 per cent and 96 per cent of the top earners.
The data for nearly 750 companies was compiled from the individual reports by technology worker Jennifer Keane, founder of PayGap,ie, who said her experience of gender pay bias served as the motivation for the project.
The project is the product of nearly 200 hours of work since the start of the year, she said, noting that, in her experience, nearly 15 per cent of the pay gap reports include errors or omissions.
All organisations with more than 50 employees must also report on their gender pay gap for the first time this year and Ms Keane will look to expand her database when that happens, she said, noting that a State-run database for the information is due to launch this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Delays to housing plan could push it back to September
The Government is discussing a delay to publishing its new housing plan until after the summer. The plan, which is to replace the last coalition's Housing for All approach, was due to be published during July, but it looks as though it could slip into September before it is made publicly available. Senior Government figures said the new plan could not be completed until the publication of a review of how the State is going to fund its multi-year infrastructure delivery programme, which is now expected in late July. That review – of the National Development Plan (NDP) – is expected to add many billions in allocations for roads, public transport, the electricity grid and water infrastructure, among other things. But it needs to be completed before Minister for Housing James Browne publishes the coalition's roadmap for how it will hit its housing targets. READ MORE The potential to push back publication of the housing plan until September is said to have been discussed at a meeting of the Cabinet housing subcommittee. [ No 'special exemptions' for students under latest Rent Pressure Zone system, James Browne says Opens in new window ] While some Government sources believe there is concern about pushing back its publication, others say a delay would have support around the Cabinet table. A final decision on what to do regarding the publication date will have to be made in the coming weeks. It is unlikely that the plan can be unveiled in August, when much of the political system shuts down for the summer break, many civil servants are on leave, and the Dáil is not sitting. A spokeswoman for Mr Browne would not be drawn on a specific date for publication of the report, beyond saying it would be as soon as possible after the publication of the NDP review, which in turn will cover all public capital investment to 2035 and allocate funds from the Apple tax case and AIB share sales, among other sources of capital. Mr Browne's spokeswoman said work on the plan is 'at an advanced stage'. [ The Government is finally showing some political courage in tackling the housing crisis Opens in new window ] 'The next housing plan is due to be published after the publication of the National Development Plan as a matter of priority,' she said. 'This sequencing is necessary, as the housing plan must have certainty around the investment plans and capital programmes for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage before the next plan can be finalised and published.' She said Mr Browne was not waiting for publication of the new plan before pushing forward with measures, including on Rent Pressure Zones reform, planning extensions and exemptions. The previous government also encountered delays when it was seeking to bring forward Housing for All under the former minister for housing, Darragh O'Brien. That document was due to be launched in July 2021, but was ultimately pushed back to September of that year, which drew criticism from the opposition.
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Sunbed business fined for selling session to minor
A judge has imposed a €2,600 penalty on a sunbed business for selling a session to a minor. In the case before Ennis District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett imposed a €1,000 fine and costs of €1,600 on Solcraft Ltd for selling a sunbed session to a girl (15) at its premises Cosmopoli Tan in Shannon, Co Clare , last year. It came after a 'secret shopper' was deployed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to do a test purchase in Cosmopoli Tan at Unit 7, Block E, Bru Na Sionna, Shannon, on November 26th, 2024. Barry Kelleher, solicitor for the HSE, told the court that on the date 'a 15-year-old child attended at the salon and approached the counter and asked for use of sunbed session'. READ MORE Mr Kelleher said 'the child asked for three minutes of time and she was told that she could get four minutes for the price of three'. Mr Kelleher said the child 'was never asked for her age or ID'. He said the firm has no previous convictions, that the transaction took place and the child left the premises. Solicitor for the firm, John Casey, said the business has a number of notices placed across its premises saying 'No ID, no sunbed'. Mr Kelleher said there was a further inspection of the premises in April this year as there was a report of underage sales continuing. Mr Casey said on that date the company was found to be in compliance. Mr Kelleher said the test purchasers deployed by the HSE don't actually take the sunbed sessions. 'You would need danger money to do that,' the judge said. Mr Kelleher told the court that people aged under 35 who use sunbeds increase their risk of developing melanoma by 75 per cent. The judge said 'children should not be in these premises – that is very straightforward' and he imposed the €1,000 fine as a deterrent to ensure compliance. Asked about the level of enforcement activity under the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act, a HSE spokesman said last month: 'In 2024, 10 fixed payment notices were served and four prosecutions taken by the National Environmental Health Service under the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014. 'Two of the prosecutions were for sales to minors and both were upheld by the court.'
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Minimum pay for childcare workers to rise to €15 an hour
Childcare workers will earn a minimum of €15 an hour under proposals jointly agreed by employers and unions. The Joint Labour Committee, which is made up of childcare providers and unions representing childcare staff, have agreed the minimum hourly raise rate from €13.65 to €15 an hour, an increase of 10 per cent. Some 35,000 people work in the childcare sector in Ireland. The new pay agreement will be underpinned by an extra €45 million provided to the sector by the Government. The proposals will now go to those childcare staff that are unionised, but Siptu has recommended approval. READ MORE Siptu's head of strategic organising Darragh O'Connor said it was a 'really big step in the journey for recognition, respect and decent pay for early years professionals'. [ 'The Government has gone very quiet': childcare providers protest for support after election promises Opens in new window ] However, he added that staffing remains a 'huge issue' with the sector and can only be relieved by continued Government investment. Childcare Service Ireland, the Ibec group that represents childcare providers, said it will help ringfence funding for wages to reach early years educators. 'There are several pressing issues facing providers, and we look forward to working with the Minister to address these challenges. Our goal is to ensure the continued sustainability of a high-quality early childhood education and care sector,' a spokesperson said. 'Any further increases in wages must be fully supported by Government funding, as the ongoing fee freeze and the incoming fee caps significantly limit providers' ability to absorb additional costs.' Minister for Children Norma Foley said the 10 per cent increase in minimum pay represents a 'significant step' towards fair pay for educators in the sector. [ Childcare crisis driving employees out of workforce Opens in new window ] She said her department pledge to put another €45 million into the sector helped get the deal over the line. 'If these proposals are implemented through updated Employment Regulation Orders, they will bring much-needed improvements in pay for these dedicated professionals, enhancing the quality of care and education provided to children across Ireland,' she said. 'I am hopeful that these proposals will soon come into effect, marking a positive change for our dedicated and skilled staff in the early learning and childcare sector and the services that employ them.'
