Firms ‘unlikely’ to meet pay gap deadline

A NEW law compelling all larger firms to publish details of their gender pay gap seems likely to be breached when it comes into force, an expert has warned, with only about one in 20 firms having made public the necessary data so far.

By early April 2018 all organisations employing 250 or more people are required to declare their gender pay gap – the difference between the average earnings of male and female workers.

With just over three months until the deadline only 493 of the 9,000 eligible organisations have done so.

Jane Gotts, co-founder of GenAnalytics – a consultancy looking at equality and diversity in business – said it was unlikely that all companies will make the required data public in time.

Ms Gotts said she expected to see a significant increase in companies publishing gender pay gap information in the new year, but with only a few hundred companies having declared so far she added: “I don’t think they all will do it.”

She said: “That would be a monumental fault which I could see happening.”

UK Government legislation now requires organisations with 250 or more workers to report annually on any pay gap, with public sector bodies to do this by March 30, 2018. The private and voluntary sectors have until April 5.