Charities and private companies with 250 or more employees must publish their gender pay gap calculations by 4 April. For public sector bodies, the deadline is 30 March. Yet according to the latest data, just 502 companies out of an estimated 9,000 affected firms have so far published the figures.

A RSM survey of middle market businesses conducted by YouGov found that while 77% of businesses said they had already published or were on track to publish their gender pay gap report on time, 10% also said they would be unable to meet the deadline.

Kerri Constable, a senior consultant from RSM’s HR consulting service said: ‘The current level of compliance with the gender pay gap rules is very low but this is likely to ramp up considerably as we get closer to the deadline.

‘However, these figures reinforce our concerns that there are many companies struggling to complete their gender pay gap calculations, partly as a result of difficulties with manipulating the data from payroll systems.’

Constable said many employers are also using the remaining time to develop the right narrative to try and mitigate any reputational risk, while some may be playing a ‘wait and see’ game so they can see how competitors are presenting their own findings.

RSM’s research showed that 78% of middle market businesses believe the reporting obligation will help reduce the size of the gender pay gap – but most thought it would take 32 years to reach parity.

‘It would be wise for employers to remember that gender pay gap reporting is an annual requirement and every year progress will be expected. It’s therefore crucial for all affected companies to develop action plans to demonstrate their commitment to continually closing the gap,’ Constable said.

While there is no financial penalty for non-compliance, the Equality and Human Rights Commission will be able to issue court orders to those employers who do not report on time and not publishing will be considered unlawful.

Report by Pat Sweet