Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
718. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when she intends for pay transparency for salaries on job advertisements to be introduced; if she expects for this to be in place by 1 June 2026; whether this can be requested of employers prior to legal imposition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16208/26]
View answerThe Pay Transparency Directive (officially known as Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms) came into force in June 2023. Member States must have it transposed into national law by 7 June 2026. EU companies will be required to share information about how much they pay women and men for work of equal value and to act if their gender pay gap exceeds 5%.
Ireland's Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 transposed a large portion of the Directive, particularly in relation to Article 9 on Gender Pay Gap Reporting. The implementation of this Act and associated regulations require employers to report their gender pay gap each year, and the measures that are being taken to eliminate or reduce the gap.
Department officials are currently developing the legislation necessary to transpose the remaining elements of this Directive into Irish law. This Directive is crucial to empower workers, and especially women, to enforce their right to equal pay through a set of binding measures on pay transparency, to strengthen the transparency of pay systems, to improve public understanding of the relevant legal concepts, and to enhance enforcement of the rights and obligations relating to equal pay.
Transposition of the Directive will make it mandatory for employers to provide information on salaries in job advertisements.
The Department is aware of the need to ensure that employers are aware of their obligations under the Directive. There will be opportunities in the near future for stakeholders, particularly employers, to engage with the Department on issues such as available supports, as we move into the next phases of the transposition process.
