EU-wide guidelines on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification The European Commission, working alongside the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), has refreshed EU-wide guidance on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification, signalling another preparatory milestone before the EU Pay Transparency Directive is carried over into domestic law. The guidance can be accessed here: EU-wide guidelines on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification: Step-by-step toolkit | European Institute for Gender Equality. Member States, Ireland among them, will have to adapt this guidance into national, step-by-step toolkits to support employers in fulfilling their obligations under the Directive. The Pay Transparency Directive must be implemented into Irish legislation on or before 7 June 2026. However, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality......

Part‑time work stands alongside other flexible work options, such as job sharing, compressed hours and remote working, all of which have become more widespread in recent years as the COVID‑19 pandemic reshaped where and how people work. Part‑time staff still account for a significant share of the Irish labour market, with 20.6% of the workforce engaged on a part‑time basis. As 67% of part‑time workers are female, the Code also has scope to promote gender equality in the workplace and encourage greater female participation across all levels of the labour market. The updated Code is underpinned by the Protection of Employees (Part‑Time Work) Act 2001 (Ireland) (PE(PTW)A 2001 (IRL)), which safeguards part‑time employees from being treated less favourably than comparable full‑time employees, unless there are objective grounds to justify this. PE(PTW)A 2001 (IRL) further stipulates that where a benefit is...

This roadmap sets out a checklist for employers to use as they ready themselves for full transposition on 2 December 2026. Although national implementing laws are in progress, Irish employers can already move on the confirmed duties under the EU Platform Work Directive. 1. Confirm whether your organisation falls within scope First, employers should assess if they fit the Directive’s definition of a digital labour platform, covering: services delivered at least in part by electronic means services provided upon the end-user’s request the organisation of paid work carried out by individuals the use of automated monitoring or decision-making systems Checklist actions: map all technology-enabled work allocation models identify any automated tools used for allocation, evaluation, monitoring or decisions document borderline or hybrid business models (mixed gig/standard operations), i.e. areas not clearly a digital labour platform but that may...

The FLR The FLR took effect on 13 December 2024, with most rules applying from 14 December 2027. It bans economic operators from placing on the market, making available, or exporting from the EU any goods made with forced labour. The FLR adopts the International Labour Organisation’s 1930 Forced Labour Convention definition. Under Article 2, forced labour covers any work or service demanded from someone under the threat of a penalty where the person has not offered themselves freely. The FLR’s definition also explicitly captures compelled child labour. For these rules, an economic operator can be any person, company or undertaking, whether established in the EU or elsewhere. The ban spans all products, regardless of sector, origin, or whether production occurs inside or outside the EU. Enforcement will be carried out by competent authorities appointed by each Member State, which will...