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It was recently reported that the Irish government has acknowledged that the EU Pay Transparency Directive (PTD) will not be fully implemented by the deadline of 7 June 2026. Implementation will happen “on a phased basis”.
While the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (the Department), which is responsible for transposing the Directive, has pointed out that the PTD has already been partially transposed by way of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, there are many aspects of implementation of the PTD in Ireland which remain unclear and no actual implementing bill has been published to date.
The general scheme of an Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill (the Equality Bill), which was published back in January 2025, contained measures aimed at transposing Article 5 of the PTD. Article 5 covers pay transparency prior to employment:
(i) the right to receive pay information in a manner such as to ensure an informed and transparent negotiation on pay; and
(ii) a prohibition on asking applicants about their pay history during their current or previous employment.
The Equality Bill was listed for priority drafting in the Government’s Autumn legislation programme 2025 but was oddly omitted from the Government's Spring legislation programme 2026. The Department has since commented that it is currently considering the recommendations in the October 2025 report on pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme and policy work is ongoing.
The remaining elements of the PTD are expected to be transposed by way of a Pay Transparency Bill. Details are awaited.
For now, employers are continuing to prepare. Towards the end of this month, it is expected that EU wide guidelines, developed by the European Institute for Gender Equality and the European Commission, on gender neutral job evaluation and classification systems will be launched. Categorising workers based on those performing the same work or work of equal value is fundamental to the operation of the rights and obligations under the PTD. Following this, the Department is expected to start workshops across April to July 2026, to assist employers in carrying out a job evaluation exercise.
It is safe to say the PTD will not be fully implemented in Ireland by 7 June 2026 and employers can expect a phased approach. One hopes the lack of haste in transposing the PTD might result in greater clarity around the extensive obligations imposed on employers under this groundbreaking EU Directive.
We will keep employers updated and, in the meantime, please visit our Pay Transparency Hub for further updates, resources and guidance for employers.
For further information in relation to this topic, please contact Triona Sugrue, Senior Practice Development Consultant or any member of the ALG Employment Team.
Date published: 12 March 2026
