Earlier this year, the Irish Government implemented new legislation aimed at measuring the gender pay gap in Ireland. We welcome this as a positive step for Ireland towards gender equality and greater transparency.
The new law’s gender pay gap reporting approach is designed to calculate the actual average earning differences between males and females, irrespective of level and job responsibility. Using this methodology, Accenture’s mean (average) gender pay gap in Ireland is 9.05%, and our median (midpoint) gender pay gap is 1.34%.
We have a fundamental commitment to pay equity. The gender pay gap is different than equal pay, which means paying the same amount to men and women doing comparable work, which has been a legal requirement since the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act of 1974. We conduct an annual pay equity review; as of our last review, which reflected annual pay changes that went into effect on December 1, 2022, we have, euro for euro, 100% pay equity for women compared to men in Ireland.
Although the gender pay gap does not measure “equal pay for comparable work,” it does reflect another focus of our diversity efforts; specifically, improving the representation of women at our more senior career levels. For instance, currently, 39% of our current managing directors are female. The larger proportion of males in these senior roles increases their average remuneration, both in terms of hourly remuneration and bonuses, and consequently widens the gender pay gap. However, we are making progress towards our goal of a 50/50 gender-balanced workforce in Ireland, with 49% of our current workforce in Ireland being female. We are committed to increasing the representation of females in our more senior career levels.
At Accenture we know that diversity drives innovation and it is a top priority. We also believe that transparency builds trust. Below is our gender pay gap data. It shows where we are today as well as the actions we have identified to help reduce the gap.
What is our gender pay gap?
The full details of Accenture’s gender pay gap in Ireland are published in the table below and are calculated on our salary data in Ireland as of June 30, 2022. Overall, the new legislation identifies 10 reporting categories for all employers with over 250 employees to show the differences between hourly remuneration and bonus remuneration of male employees and that of female employees, along with other important data.
Accenture in Ireland – Gender Pay Gap 2022
| Regulation | Category | Gender Pay Gap |
|---|
| 7(1) (a) | Mean hourly remuneration | 9.05% |
| 7(1) (b) | Mean hourly remuneration (part-time employees) | 29.22% |
| 7(1) (c) | Mean hourly remuneration (temporary employees) | -0.78% |
| 8(1) (a) | Median hourly remuneration | 1.34% |
| 8(1) (b) | Median hourly remuneration (part-time employees) | 12.23% |
| 8(1) (c) | Median hourly remuneration (temporary employees) | -0.04% |
| 9(1) (a) | Mean bonus remuneration | 27.64% |
| 9(1) (b) | Median bonus remuneration | 2.23% |
| 9(1) (c) | % of employees paid bonus remuneration | 64% of Male employees | 67% of Female employees |
| 9(1) (d) | % of employees paid benefit-in-kind | 61% of Male employees | 67% of Female employees |
| | % of employees who fall within: | Male | Female |
| 10(1) (a) | - Lower remuneration quartile pay band
| 49% | 51% |
| 10(1) (b) | - Lower middle remuneration quartile pay band
| 51% | 49% |
| 10(1) (c) | - Upper middle remuneration quartile pay band
| 49% | 51% |
| 10(1) (d) | - Upper remuneration quartile pay band
| 54% | 46% |
** A positive % means that, on average, males earn more than women; a negative % means, on average, females earn more than men.
Note: Our methodology excludes statutory entitlement payments (e.g. state maternity or sick pay). Including these payments would slightly lower our mean gender pay gap.
What is Accenture doing about its gender pay gap?
To work towards reducing the gender pay gap, we are deeply committed to a number of focused actions in Ireland:
Action
1 Shift towards a 50/50 gender-balanced workforce at all career levels in Ireland
Focus on achieving 50/50 gender balance at all career levels through attraction, retention and development of our female talent.
2 Support the development of our pipeline of female Leadership talent
Provide relevant supports that will enable female talent to pursue Leadership roles, including development supports such as Women in Leadership programmes, mentorship, Leadership coaching and sponsorship and opportunities for learning & development to drive career progression.
3 Support our people and address inequalities in care
Address challenges arising from traditional gender roles in the home, such as appropriate childcare provisions, including our Bright Horizons employee offering; provision for employees to work on a flexible working schedule, particularly to support caring needs.
4 Maintain our strong Inclusion & Diversity and STEM presence externally
Continue to inspire talent externally through our deep focus on Inclusion & Diversity and STEM (including our International Women’s Day celebration, Women on Walls campaign, STEM Network and external partnerships), showcasing equal and diverse Leadership to highlight viable career paths and build a strong pipeline of talent across the gender divide.
5 Provide traditional and alternative pathways to employment
Promote alternative routes to career success, such as continuing to grow our ReSume programme, which helps returners to reintegrate into the workplace after a break in employment; and continue to attract female talent through our recruitment efforts, including continuing to engage with higher education providers on encouraging female students to pursue careers in STEM.
Given the legislation’s threshold for reporting is 250 employees, Accenture is required to publish a further breakdown of statistics for smaller entities within our organisation across Ireland. The figures shown above incorporate all such calculations in reporting our gender pay gap for all employees at Accenture in Ireland. Click here to see a breakdown of data for additional entities
There is more to do in order to close the gender pay gap. As we continue to make progress towards 50/50 gender balance by 2025, we will also look at ways in which we can ensure that this target is met across all career levels in order to reduce the gap.
