Lawyers at Arthur Cox LLP have welcomed the passing of the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2019, but have pointed to uncertainty over what is expected of employers as a result of the new legislation.

The bill, which will now go to the President to be signed into law, requires the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to make regulations requiring certain employers to publish information on the gap between pay for men and women in their organisations.

Employers will also be required to publish the measures taken by them to eliminate or reduce the gender pay gap.

Regulations by end of year

In a note on the firm’s website, the Arthur Cox lawyers say the requirement for the minister to set out regulations on reporting means that the detail of the proposals is not yet known.

The minister, Roderic O’Gorman (pictured), confirmed that he intends to publish the regulations and bring them into force by the end of this year.

"Clarity on what precisely is expected of employers in this regard is eagerly awaited,” Arthur Cox says.

More time?

The firm’s lawyers say that the passing of the bill may mean that the legislation will apply to employers – at least those with 250 or more employees – from 2022 onwards, unless the Government decides to give employers more time to prepare.

“Given this uncertainty and a potentially short lead-in time, we recommend that employers take steps now to establish whether gender pay gaps exist in their organisations, and consider the steps that they can take to reduce or eliminate a gender pay gap ahead of time,” the Arthur Cox note concludes.