Gender pay gaps have widened this year at nearly half of firms, tally of early annual returns shows

Halfords and An Post among firms where females were paid more, but many have seen gap widen in favour of men

An Post CEO David McRedmond with procurement officer Dorcas Olagbemiro and retail clerk Pauline Barry. An Post is the first major employer in Ireland to report a zero gender pay gap for the third year in a row. Photo: Maxwells

Sarah Collins

The difference between average male and female pay at some of Ireland’s largest firms has widened since last year, but experts warn the data can be deceptive.

So far this year, around 30 gender pay gap reports have trickled in ahead of an end-of-month deadline, showing that women are paid, on average, less than men in the majority of reporting firms.