Ireland's Gender Pay Gap: Men Earn 9.6% More, Sector Variations Revealed

According to a recent analysis produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the gender wage gap in Ireland will continue to exist in 2022. Over the course of the year, men earned 9.6% more than their female colleagues. The statistics, however, revealed large variances in the wage disparity between industries and occupational categories.

The finance, insurance, and real estate industries had the largest gender pay disparity, with males earning 24.7% more than women. In sharp contrast, the education sector had the smallest wage disparity, with women earning only 2.7% less than males.

The statistics also revealed that males worked more hours on average, clocking in at 35.7 hours per week, compared to women, who worked an average of 30.1 hours per week. Surprisingly, the gender pay disparity was more evident in the commercial sector than in the public sector, where women earned somewhat more.

Furthermore, the survey stated that in part-time jobs, women earned more on average, and the pay disparity narrowed as the size of the employing business grew. The findings also showed that the gender wage gap benefited women between the ages of 15 and 24, but moved in favor of males as people advanced in their professions.

In 2022, the median hourly wages in the Irish economy were €19.60. The highest average hourly income was €31.97 in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, while the lowest was €13.59 in the Accommodation and Food Services sector. These results serve as a reminder of the country's persistent struggles in attaining female pay fairness.