Eir has narrowed its gender pay gap to 1.59% from 5.5% last year and remains on course to close it completely by 2030.

The telecoms group said in its 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report that its mean gender pay gap has decreased from 11.2% or 9.6 percentage points since 2021, the year it started publishing pay gap data.

Eir credited improved gender balance, particularly in senior roles and positions with higher compensation, and bonus payments that predominantly benefit female workers for its progress.

The company acknowledged that progress in reducing the gap would be slower without the bonuses due to higher male representation in technical roles that offer overtime and other allowances.

Additionally, Eir has a higher number of men with longer tenure in senior roles, inflating their overall compensation, while its part-time workers are mostly women.

Over the past three years, however, Eir has seen an increase in female representation in senior roles and in traditional male-dominated areas such as engineering and technology.

The company's senior management team is now 46% female.

Eir is also launching its diversity, equality & inclusion (DE&I) policy, with key initiatives such as mentorship programmes and partnerships with educational institutions to improve its diverse talent pipeline.

In additional to closing the gender pay gap, the policy outlines goals such as achieving gender balance at leadership level, and making annual improvements in gender representation at all levels.

The group has also set targets for nationality and ethnicity representation (10%) and disability representation (5%) as a proportion of staff by 2030.

“At Eir, our purpose is to connect for a better Ireland and as part of our ESG strategy, we set a goal to eliminate the Gender Pay Gap entirely by 2030, supported by a clear and actionable plan," said Oliver Loomes, CEO of Eir.

"Our 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report highlights the significant progress we’ve made, reducing the gap to 1.59%—an almost 4% improvement from last year’s 5.51% and a 9.6% reduction since our first report in 2021."

"This progress reflects our commitment to progress. By creating a workplace where opportunities are accessible to all, we are investing in the long-term sustainability of our workforce and ensuring that our business remains competitive and resilient.”

Sandra Donohue, director of HR at Eir, added: "We are making progress, and this makes us even more determined to continue our commitment to sustained action until we eliminate the Gender Pay Gap completely. 

“Attracting female talent into non-traditional and STEM roles remains our long-term priority.  We will continue to engage with the educational sector to inspire young people to consider the variety and breadth of career opportunities in STEM, whether that be in eir or other industries.

“We can only sustain this progress by ensuring we focus on gender diversity at all levels and that we are building a strong pipeline of female talent to fill future leadership roles."

(Pic: Fennell Photography)