Council publishes report on gender pay gap

Cavan County Council has published its Gender Pay Gap Report for 2023, with the latest publication showing the organisation’s mean gender pay gap has narrowed.

Showing the difference in the average hourly wage of men and women across a workforce, the report reveals a gender pay gap of -0.94% (mean) and -14.23% (median) in 2023, compared with a mean pay gap of 2.01% and a median of -8.31% in 2022.

Employers with more than 250 employees in Ireland are required to publish their gender pay gap data.

Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, Eoin Doyle, welcomed the publication of the report, saying: “Cavan County Council’s mission statement is to be ‘a council that leads and collaborates with all to drive and shape a better future for our county’ and, as such, it is crucial that we show leadership locally on this important matter.”

He said that the council’s staff are “dedicated, skilled, and resolute in their delivery of services in the county”.

Mr Doyle also described them as “ambassadors for our organisation, living and working in their community”.

He added: “It is important, therefore, that each staff member knows they are valued equally by this council and that they can enjoy equality of opportunity in their career.”

Cavan County Council currently employs over 500 employees across service divisions including housing and building, roads, transport and safety, development management, community development, enterprise support, environmental protection and climate action, recreation and amenity, agriculture and education and emergency services. In 2022 the published report found that there were proportionately more males at lower pay grades and also a slightly higher proportion of males employed in salaries with higher grades.

At the end of June 2022, five per cent of the council’s employees were on temporary contracts. Of these, the majority, 59% were female and 41% male. These contracts included temporary clerical and administrative employees, as well as graduates and temporary project leads.

In 2023, there was a 42% female and 58% male gender breakdown in senior grades.

Approximately 28% of employees on June 30 were working part-time. Of these, 62% were male and 38% female.