HRLocker Research Reveals 40% of Irish Businesses Still Unaware of Gender Pay Gap Reporting Obligations

Ahead of International Women’s Day 2025, new research from HRLocker reveals that 40% of firms in Ireland with 50 – 149 employees are unaware of their upcoming legal obligation to report on gender pay disparities.

While large (250+ employees) and mid-sized (150 – 249) companies have been reporting since 2022 and 2024, respectively, the findings show that smaller firms are falling dangerously behind, with many at risk of non-compliance.

HRLocker surveyed 100 senior HR professionals across businesses of different sizes, revealing a clear divide in awareness and preparedness:

250+ Employees – 80% of HR leaders say they feel fully prepared for reporting requirements.

150-249 Employees – 70% claim to be prepared, yet many (33%) lack confidence in their reporting accuracy.

50-149 Employees – Only 40% are aware of the upcoming requirement, and 58% have no idea how to collect the necessary data.

With companies employing 50-149 staff required to submit their first gender pay gap “snapshot” report by the end of June this year, the findings suggest that thousands of Irish businesses need to take urgent action to ensure compliance in time.

“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 a staggering 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.

Unlike previous size brackets, companies with 50 – 149 employees are required to choose a date in June as their “snapshot date” for collecting pay data. Their GPG report deadline will then be due five months from that date. For example, if an employer selects 15 June as their snapshot date, their report would be due on 15 November 2025.

“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,” states 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.”

See more stories here.