Gender Pay vs. Equal Pay
Our report distinguishes between gender pay and equal pay. While equal pay focuses on ensuring men and women are paid equally for the same job, the gender pay gap reflects the overall distribution of men and women in various roles and pay grades within Savills.
For example, a male and female at the same grade, with the same level of experience, are paid equally. However, their bonus payment may differ, depending on the profitability of their respective departments. Staff are currently awarded bonuses based on the profitability of the area they are employed in, which can vary substantially from year to year.
This inconsistency can cause anomalies in our pay gap report from one year to the next.
Understanding the Gender Pay Gap
The gender pay gap measures the difference in average earnings between men and women across the entire organisation. It is different from equal pay, which refers to men and women being paid equally for the same or equivalent work. Our gender pay gap illustrates disparities in the distribution of men and women across different roles and levels, particularly in more senior roles.
Mean and Median Gender Pay Gaps
The mean and median gender pay gaps are calculated by comparing the average hourly pay rates of men and women in the company.
These figures highlight the distribution of genders across different roles and pay grades within Savills.
Quartile Bands Analysis
Our analysis of quartile bands continues to show the distribution of men and women across different pay levels. The upper quartile reflects a gender disparity which we are actively working to address. This disparity is primarily due to the underrepresentation of women in senior roles, a challenge we are committed to overcoming.
Gender and the Property Industry
Statistics from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) reveal a gender imbalance in the industry.
Full membership of SCSI consists of 25% female and 75% male members. When focusing on the property sector specifically, the divide shows a slightly higher female representation with 34% female and 66% male members.
However, the gap widens considerably in the construction sector, where only 10% are female compared to a staggering 90% male membership.
Within Savills, the discrepancy is highlighted by the fact that there is a much higher proportion of male employees with a professional and/or 3rd level qualification as compared with female employees, with 89% of male employees and 62% for female employees holding such qualifications.
This differential, along with the imbalance across the industry, underscores the need for continued efforts to encourage female participation in the property sector.
Initiatives by organisations like Savills play a critical role in this endeavour, offering opportunities and support for women pursuing careers in these traditionally male-dominated fields.
Reason for the Pay Gap at Savills
The report reveals the gap between the average hourly earnings of men and women in our business, which reflects the historical under-representation of women at senior levels across the real estate sector.
The statistics for 2025 show a widening of the gap compared to last year. This change was somewhat anticipated in our previous reports and is directly related to the performance of our transactional teams, which were more active during the past year generating higher levels of revenue and profit. Savills awards bonuses based on profitability of individual teams with higher bonuses awarded to these teams as a consequence of the uptick in activity. Coincidentally and historically, these transactional teams are male dominated within Savills.
In our previous report, we noted that because bonus pools in transactional areas were down in 2023, the gap had narrowed, but we cautioned that it might widen again if transactional performance improved. The 2025 figures reflect exactly this scenario. It is important to view these figures in that context; the underlying base pay structures remain equitable, but the volatility of performance-related bonuses in specific, maleheavy sectors disproportionately affects the mean and median figures.
When we look at the mean pay gap by quartile, it becomes clear where the real variance exists. We see low or negative gaps in the Lower (-1%) and Lower Middle (1%) quartiles.
However, the Upper quartile shows a mean average pay that is 28% higher for males. This reflects the higher percentage of men in more senior, revenue-generating roles within Savills.
We continue to focus on enhancing the career progression opportunities for women, particularly in leadership roles, to reduce the gender pay gap over the long term. Our efforts extend beyond gender to embrace diversity in its entirety, reflecting our belief that a diverse workforce is key to our success.
Our Initiatives
Savills Ireland has taken several significant steps towards reducing the gender pay gap and promoting diversity and inclusion:
Increasing Female Representation in Leadership:
• Commitment to boost female representation at the director level to 25% in the coming years.
• Identification and development of high-potential female employees for leadership roles.
Networking Opportunities:
• SCSI Annual Dinner event attended by male and female Savills colleagues.
• International Women’s Day events celebrating female colleagues and clients.
• Female staff attendance at the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards and Hi Style Women of Vision Awards.
• Continued partnership with the 30% Club and active participation in the Club’s meetings.
• Quarterly Associate Director and Divisional Director group meetings with the Leadership team.
Leadership Training Program Expansion:
• ‘Taking the Lead’ hybrid training program extended to all employees at Associate Director level and above, irrespective of gender.
• ‘Women in Leadership’ training module designed to equip aspiring female leaders with skills and confidence.
• Internal Management training provided by HR.
• Mentorship Programme available to all employees regardless of grade or gender.
Educational Workshops and Webinars:
• ‘Grow Your Professional Confidence’ webinars.
• Unconscious bias module included in corporate mandatory training for all new starters and refreshed every 2 years.
Diversity and Inclusion Resource Platform:
• Diversity and Inclusion platform on ‘Connect’, our company intranet.
• Active Belong2Savills committee focused on 5 pillars: Age, Gender, Socio-Economic, Disability, Ethnicity, and LGBTQ+.
Enhanced Maternity and Leave Policies:
• Continued support and coaching for female employees pre- and post-maternity leave.
• Introduction of family-oriented policies like Fertility Leave, Neonatal Care Leave, and Parental Bereavement Leave.
Educational Assistance:
• Provision of study leave and coverage of course fees for further education.
Speak-Up Policy and Procedure:
• Speak-Up Policy with both internal and external escalation paths to provide a safe channel for reporting concerns
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