Lidl Ireland has narrowed its mean gender pay gap to 5.2 per cent and closed its median gender pay gap to zero for the first time.
When comparing the average hourly pay rate of male and female employees, the German-owned supermarket retailer said men’s pay came in 5.2 per cent higher than women’s pay, with this gap down from 7 per cent last year and 7.9 per cent in its 2022 report.
Its median pay gap has fallen from 4.1 per cent in 2022 – the first year that companies were obliged to report their gender pay gaps – to 2.8 per cent in 2023 to 0 per cent, it said.
The median pay gap refers to how much a female employee at the midpoint of all female hourly wages is paid compared with a male employee at the midpoint of all male hourly wages
Lidl said its 5.2 per cent mean gender pay gap was the result of a greater proportion of men than women holding senior roles in the business.
The company said it had “made significant progress in the progression of female talent into key leadership roles” in recent years and was committed to tangible actions that will eliminate its mean gender pay gap.
Lidl’s pay gap compares favourably to the average gender pay gap in the State, which stood at 9.6 per cent in 2022, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
“We are pleased to see a reduction once again this year in our mean gender pay gap dropping from 7 per cent to 5.2 per cent, almost half of the average gender pay gap in Ireland,” said Maeve McCleane, chief people officer and a board executive at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland.
“We strongly believe in the positive impact that a zero gender pay gap can have, not only on our own colleagues, but on Ireland’s society and economy.”
Ms McCleane said Lidl had launched several initiatives to dissolve barriers to progression for women, including flexible working policies, leadership training, menopause supports and a transparent approach to appraisals.
The company was “delighted to report tangible progress” in its pay gap this year and will continue its work to eliminate the mean pay gap, she added.
Lidl employs 6,000 people across its Dublin head office, 181 stores and three regional distribution centres in Mullingar, Charleville and Newbridge.
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act first applied in 2022 for employers with more than 250 employees. In 2024, this widened to employers with more than 150 employees and in 2025 this will apply to employers with more than 50 employees.
Employers must choose a “snapshot” date in June to measure earnings across their organisation and then publish a report on the same date in December of that year.
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