Men paid more on average than women in latest Laois County Council report

Laois County Council has published its Gender Pay Gap Report for 2025, with its findings showing that on average men are paid slightly more than women.

The 2025 Gender Pay Gap Report is the fourth report of its kind published by Laois County Council and follows on foot of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act, 2021 which requires organisations with over 50 employees to report on their Gender Pay Gap.

The report breaks down the pay of all 623 employees of Laois County Council as of June 30 this year. This includes members of the fire service, county libraries and so on.

The report calculates the percentage difference between the average earnings of men and women irrespective of their role. For those unfamiliar with such a report, it notes that the Gender Pay Gap is not the same as equal pay. All local authority bodies pay men and women equally for similar or the same roles.

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The report also points out that rates of pay within the sector are agreed through national wage agreements negotiated regularly between employers and staff representatives. Most employees are paid according to an incremental salary scale and the salary ranges for various roles are available on the local government jobs website at www.localgovernmentjobs.ie. 

According to the report, there is almost an equal amount of men and women employed by Laois County Council, with 51% of employees being men and 49% women.

The Mean Gender Pay Gap shows that on average, men are paid 4.5% more than women. However, this average figure can be influenced by more high earners bringing that number up.

In comparison, the Median Gender Pay Gap is the figure that falls in the middle and because it is less influenced by such outliers it can be considered a more accurate representation of typical pay. In Laois County Council, the median rate of pay for women is actually 2.91% higher than the median rate for men.

The study also broke down the demographics into four earning brackets, from lower earners to higher earners. Interestingly, there is a higher proportion of women in lower grades and upper/ middle grades. Women also represent 53% of senior grades.

Michael Rainey, Laois County Council's Chief Executive, said in the report: "It is important to note many equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and supports are already in place, and Laois County Council will continue to work in this area.

"The Council will examine what this year’s gender pay gap figures can tell us about our organisation and this will help inform our action plans and assess on an ongoing basis our status in this important area. We will continue to monitor these figures over time."

You can read more about the Gender Pay Gap Report for 2025 here. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme