EHRC announces that enforcement action against employers failing to report gender pay gap will start on 5 October 2021

Employers given extra six months to file pay gap data in response to ongoing effects of Covid-19 pandemic

The Equality and Human Right Commission (EHRC) has announced that enforcement action against employers failing to report gender pay gap data will start on 5 October 2021.

Highlighting that public sector bodies and private sector employers covered by the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 (SI.No.172/2017) would otherwise be required to report pay gap data by 30 March and 4 April 2021 respectively, the EHRC confirms that the change for the 2021/2022 reporting year gives those required to meet the regulations an additional six months to report their data before legal action begins.

Commenting on the change, EHRC Chair Baroness Kishwer Falkner said today -

'We know businesses are still facing challenging times. Starting our legal process in October strikes the right balance between supporting businesses and enforcing these important regulations.

Taking action to reduce the gender pay gap must continue. Reporting provides an opportunity for employers to demonstrate their commitment to gender equality, which will be more important than ever as the effects of the pandemic continue. Employers should still report their gender pay gap data for 2020/2021 on time if they can and we encourage them to demonstrate the steps they are taking to reduce long-term pay gaps through detailed action plans.'

NB - the reporting requirements for 2019/2020 were suspended in March 2020 due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

Fore more information, see Gender pay gap regulation enforcement to start in October from equalityhumanrights.com