Comparative Guides

Welcome to Mondaq Comparative Guides - your comparative global Q&A guide.

Our Comparative Guides provide an overview of some of the key points of law and practice and allow you to compare regulatory environments and laws across multiple jurisdictions.

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4. Results: Answers
Labour and Employment
7.
Trends and predictions
7.1
How would you describe the current employment landscape and prevailing trends in your jurisdiction? Are any new developments anticipated in the next 12 months, including any proposed legislative reforms?
Ireland

Answer ... There has been significant movement over the past two years towards strengthening employees’ rights. Some examples include the following.

Gender pay gap reporting: The Gender Pay Gap (Information) Act 2021 was commenced on 31 May 2022. The act requires certain employers (those with over 250 employees in 2022 and 2023) to publish information relating to the pay of their employees for the purpose of showing whether there are differences in such pay referable to gender and, if so, the size of such differences.

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill: The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022 will transpose the EU Whistleblowing Directive into Irish law and introduce significant changes to the existing protected disclosures regime, the most notable of which are:

  • the extension of obligations to have a whistleblowing policy to the private sector; and
  • the introduction of strict timeframes to follow up on disclosures.

The bill is making its way through the legislative process before being passed into law.

Right to request remote working: The General Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill has been published. The bill is still awaited after the general scheme was heavily criticised. The bill will provide a legal framework for requesting, approving or refusing a request for remote work. The government has committed to passing the legislation before the summer recess.

Sick Leave Bill: The Sick Leave Bill 2022 will introduce an entitlement to statutory sick leave in Ireland for the first time for employees who would ordinarily work but are incapable of doing so due to illness or injury. The bill is making its way through the legislative process before being passed into law.

For more information about this answer please contact: Louise O'Byrne from Arthur Cox
Contributors
Topic
Labour and Employment