Q2 2025 Employment Law Update

Our Employment Law & Benefits team reviews the key changes in the area of employment law for Q2 2025. They also provide an overview of what employers need to know.

What you need to know

• Summer Legislation Programme 2025 - The Summer Legislation Programme 2025 was announced, which marked several bills for priority publication and drafting.
• Legislation of note - There were a number of Bills published and initiated, including:
  • The Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025
  • The Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025
  • The Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, and
  • The Industrial Relations (Boycott of Joint Labour Committees) Bill 2025.
• The European Union (Gender Balance on Boards of Certain Companies) Regulations 2025 - The new Regulations were enacted on 30 May 2025 and implement the EU’s Gender Balance on Corporate Boards Directive.
• Employment Equality Act 1998 (Section 20A) (Gender Pay Gap Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 - These new Regulations will affect gender pay gap reporting for 2025.
• Delay - A delay has been announced in the implementation of Pension Auto-Enrolment and the introduction of a Living Wage.
• WRC Annual Report - The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) Annual Report was published for 2024.

1. Summer Legislation Programme 2025

The Summer Legislation Programme for 2025 was announced on 29 April 2025. Of note, are the following Bills:

Legislation for Priority Publication

Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill

Legislation for Priority Drafting

Equality and Family Leave (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

All other Legislation

• Pay Transparency Bill - Heads in preparation
• Registration of Trade Unions Bill - Heads in preparation
• Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill - Heads in preparation

Currently before Oireachtas

• Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025
• Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2025

2. Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025

The Bill is aimed at prohibiting discrimination on the basis of a person’s socio-economic disadvantaged background. It proposes amendments to the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000. In the case of both the 1998 and 2000 Act, the following interpretation of “socio-economic disadvantage” is given:

“socio-economic disadvantage means having disadvantaged social status or disadvantaged economic status, or both, that may be indicated by a person’s inclusion, other than on a temporary basis, in a socially or geographically identifiable group that suffers from such disadvantage resulting from one or more of the following circumstances:

(a) poverty,

(b) source of income,

(c) illiteracy,

(d) level of education,

(e) address, type of housing or homelessness,

(f) employment status,

(g) social or regional accent,

or from any other similar circumstance”:

The Bill provides amendments to the Acts to include socio-economic disadvantage as a “discriminatory ground” and provides the necessary changes to how comparators are used. The Bill also proposes an amendment to Section 34 of the 1998 Act, which would allow an employer to provide certain benefits or affirmative actions based on socio-economic disadvantage.

The Bill is currently before Seanad Éireann, Second Stage.

3. Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025

The Bill was published in May 2025. It proposes changes to the Insolvency Payments Scheme, which protects employees’ pay-related entitlements if their employer becomes insolvent. It aims to:

• Expand access to the Insolvency Payments Scheme to protect employees of employers who cease trading without entering liquidation, receivership or bankruptcy.
• Provide access to the scheme to employees with historical claims, from October 1983 to the commencement of the Bill.
• Expand access to the scheme, including employees of sole traders who enter insolvency arrangements.
• Provide a legislative basis to apply the statutory salary ceiling, €600 per week, to all payments from the scheme.
• Amend the Employment Equality Act 1998 to ensure Circuit Court awards for gender discrimination are covered by the scheme.

It has completed Dáil Éireann, Second Stage.

4. European Union (Gender Balance on Boards of Certain Companies) Regulations 2025

The European Union (Gender Balance on Boards of Certain Companies) Regulations 2025 came into force on 30 May 2025. The Regulations implement the EU’s Directive designed to improve gender balance on corporate boards.

Read our recent article: New Gender Balance Rules for Boards

5. Employment Equality Act 1998 (Section 20A) (Gender Pay Gap Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

The Regulations provide that employers with 50 or more employees are now subject to gender pay reporting obligations. This threshold has been reduced from the previous requirement of 150 or more employees. These obligations are under Section 20A of the Employment Equality Act 1998 (as amended). The Regulations also provide for an earlier reporting date than previous years, that being November 2025.

6. Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025

This Bill is a Private Member Bill which is currently before Seanad Éireann, Third Stage. It is focused on providing a period of paid leave following the loss of a pregnancy in circumstances where the employee has a pregnancy that does not result in a live birth or stillbirth as defined by the Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Act 2024. The loss must be certified by a registered medical practitioner. The other expectant parent of the child is also entitled to leave under the proposed scheme.

The proposed leave duration is 5 working days where the employee was pregnant and experienced the loss of that pregnancy. 2.5 working days is proposed where the employee is another expectant parent.

7. Industrial Relations (Boycott of Joint Labour Committees) Bill 2025

This Bill is currently before Dáil Éireann, Second Stage. It is aimed at amending the provisions relating to the constitution of Joint Labour Committees. The amendments provide for situations where organisations of employers or of workers fail or refuse to engage in consultation with the Labour Court before representative members are appointed. This applies to both employer and worker representatives to provide for connected matters.

8. Delay in pension auto-enrolment

The introduction of the new Auto-Enrolment Pension Scheme will be delayed beyond the original September 2025 commencement date. The first contributions under the system will not be made until 1 January 2026.

9. Delay in introduction of living wage

The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment has announced that the introduction of a living wage will be delayed by three years, with the measure now due to be implemented by 2029.

10. WRC Annual Report 2024

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) Annual Report 2024 was published in April 2025. It provides useful insights into the activities of the WRC. For employers, the report highlights:

• Key trends in complaints
• The WRC’s operational developments, and
• The WRC’s areas of increasing focus for inspections and enforcement.

Understanding these are crucial for ensuring compliance with employment law and promoting positive workplace relations.

Read our recent article: WRC 2024 Annual Report Round Up

Conclusion

There have been a number of important changes to the law in Q2 2025. For specific advice as to how these changes might affect you, contact a member of our Employment Law & Benefits team.

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.