We believe that our ability to innovate on behalf of our customers relies on the perspectives and knowledge of people from all backgrounds. We actively recruit and develop people from diverse backgrounds to build a supportive and inclusive workplace, and we take steps to ensure employees have a sense of belonging, value, and opportunity.

We also have several programmes, partnerships and initiatives available to inspire and support women, girls and non-binary talent in Ireland who are considering a career in technology.

Amazon recognises that gender pay gap (GPG) reporting is just one element of a wider strategy to address gender equity. While GPG reporting alone cannot determine or resolve the complex set of causes for these differences, it is a crucial and welcome element. As we strive to be Earth's best employer, we take this initiative seriously.

What is the difference between gender pay gap and equal pay?

GPG compares the average pay of all working men and women, regardless of their job title, level, working patterns, organisation levels, qualifications, or experience. GPG is an expression of the difference in the overall average earnings between all men and women within an organisation. Equal pay, on the other hand, ensures that people receive equal pay for equal work, regardless of their gender. Therefore, the presence of a GPG does not mean that there is a difference in pay for men and women in the same roles. At Amazon we regularly perform equal pay audits and are committed to equal pay in Ireland in line with the Employment Equality Act, 1998.

The Irish government requires all companies with 250 or more employees to publish details of their gender pay and bonus gap. The Amazon entities in Ireland that fall into this category are Amazon Ireland Support Services, Amazon Data Services, Amazon Development Centre (Ireland), and AWS EMEA SARL (Irish Branch), and the mean gender pay gap for these entities range between 0.8%-15.2%. According to the Central Statistics Office, the national average gender pay gap in Ireland for 2022 was 9.6% (in favour of men).

Amazon’s Ireland gender pay gap reports are available here.

How is Amazon working to create a more diverse and equitable workforce?

The driver of the GPG in Amazon's entities in Ireland is that there are fewer women in technology-focused and leadership roles in these organisations. To improve gender representation and achieve our goals, we run a wide range of initiatives to inspire, recruit, and develop women and non-binary people inside and outside of Amazon.

At Amazon, we acknowledge that there is still work to be done within our business and we are dedicated to creating a more diverse workforce. We aim to do this by diversifying the talent pool by inspiring young women to study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, and helping women of all ages to consider and develop a career in technology.

Inspiring more girls and women to consider a career in tech from an early age

Amazon has introduced a series of educational programmes and apprenticeships that aim to help inspire more women and girls to consider computer science and technology careers.

In 2020, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched AWS GetIT in Ireland. This is a programme designed to inspire students aged 12-14, with a particular focus on girls, to consider a career in technology, and to inspire them to become tomorrow’s tech innovators and leaders. Schools across Ireland take part in a competition to design an app which solves a real issue faced by their school or community. Finalists have the opportunity to present their ideas to a tech industry panel of judges, and a winner is selected. The winner of AWS GetIT 2023 was Coláiste Abhainn Rí, Callan, Co. Kilkenny; runners up were Bishopstown Community School, Co. Cork and Our Lady's School, Terenure, Co. Dublin.

AWS also hosts a ‘Girls' Tech Day’, a half day learning programme designed to inspire and motivate girls and young women to pursue interests and careers in technology. As part of this programme, students are offered the opportunity to attend workshops exploring robotics and virtual reality, and have the opportunity to hear from inspiring women in tech.

In May 2022, AWS launched its first AWS Think Big Space in Europe in Tallaght, South Dublin. The AWS Think Big Space was created together with South Dublin County Council (SDCC) and South Dublin Libraries and provides a place beyond the classroom for students to explore and cultivate an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) and STEAM-related careers. Since launching the AWS Think Big Space in 2022, over 7,000 students, 425 teachers, educators and youth group leaders have engaged with the programme.

Encouraging diversity in higher education

For the past six years, AWS has partnered with the Tallaght Campus of Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) on their Data Centre Technician Programme. This offers participants the opportunity to re-train with annual bursaries and the possibility of a paid work placement with AWS. AWS has also supported the development of similar courses with TU Dublin Blanchardstown, and the Drogheda Institute of Further Education.

Every year, 55 scholarships are offered to members of our local communities so that they can develop the skills required to build a successful career in the cloud industry. AWS data centre infrastructure allows participants to gain hands-on experience with the most advanced technology. On average, across the programmes, students have a 79% success rate of subsequently securing full-time employment in the IT sector following completion of their studies.

AWS hires graduates from these scholarships for its open roles. In November 2022, AWS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TU Dublin to cooperate on skills, sustainability, and inclusion projects. The collaboration spans a broad range of activities including targeted educational programmes to address national digital skills needs in fields such as cloud computing and data centre operations. It also encourages an interest in STEAM careers amongst young people through mentorship, hackathons, competitions, and fairs. Together the two organisations will offer training programmes to create technical career opportunities in the local community for those seeking to return to the workplace, and for minority groups traditionally underrepresented in Ireland’s tech sector.

In August 2022, we also funded the University of Limerick (UL) to launch a new Global Fellowships programme as part of its BSc/MSc in Immersive Software Engineering (ISE). Our support allows UL to establish and fully fund the new Global Fellowships programme in perpetuity. With a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, the Fellows will be drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds, skill sets, life experiences, and global locations.

We also launched our Data Centre Construction Delivery Graduate Programme in 2022. Graduates enrolled on the programme will gain insight into various aspects of data centres, experiencing jobs in Controls, Commissioning, Critical Problem Implementation, and Construction over a two-year placement.

Retraining and upskilling for technology careers

We are committed to simplifying access into technology careers for all. In 2020, AWS launched AWS re/Start in Ireland. AWS re/Start is a free-to-the-learner skills training programme that prepares unemployed or underemployed individuals for a career in the cloud, connecting them with potential employers. AWS re/Start works with collaborating organisations to offer a learning experience, provide a pathway to AWS Certification, and support learners as they launch their cloud careers. The programme is designed to accommodate differing levels of experience – even those with no previous technical knowledge can apply. Our latest AWS re/Start programme in Drogheda commenced in December 2023.

AWS also has several training and certification programmes. For example, AWS Educate, which offers individual learners hundreds of hours of free, self-paced training and resources to build cloud skills. It is open to any individual, regardless of where they are in their education, technical experience, or career journey and learners as young as 13 can register. AWS Skill Builder provides taught and self-paced programmes in AWS skills. AWS Cloud Quest is a free game-based roleplaying experience that make it easy for individuals to get their hands-on cloud computing skills training in a fun and engaging way. AWS Academy, provides free, web-accessible, ready-to-deliver classroom cloud computing curriculum for educators and higher education member institutions to prepare students for industry-recognised AWS certifications and in-demand careers in the cloud. In addition, the programme offers enablement workshops for educators to ensure they have the most up-to-date training for their subject fields. A number of institutions across Ireland are AWS Academy members, including Dublin Business School, Institute of Technology (Carlow) and National College of Ireland.

Amazon employees have access to the Career Choice programme. Career Choice is an education benefit that empowers eligible employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. As part of the programme, Amazon prepays up to 95% of tuition towards an approved certificate or diploma in qualified fields of study and reimburses books and fees up to an annual limit. This means that people working in a fulfilment centre could be given the skills and qualifications to pursue a career in technology. Across Ireland we have already seen almost 200 employees participate in the Career Choice programme to upskill in their preferred field.

Creating an inclusive culture

To cultivate a community of inclusion amongst our employees, we recognise that we must not only recruit a diverse pool of talent, but also ensure we are nurturing and developing the employees already at Amazon. We are committed to creating a diverse organisation where employees thrive. For example, helping employees with the transition back to work after parental leave. Eligible Amazon employees are offered a Ramp Back option as part of flexible working at Amazon. This unique programme offers parents eight consecutive weeks of flexibility and partial work hours immediately following leave related to the birth or adoption of a child.

Amazon has 13 affinity groups, also known as employee resource groups. They play an important role in bringing Amazon employees together and create a sense of community globally while encouraging inclusivity and diversity. Women@Amazon, Amazon Women in Engineering (AWE), Women in Finance & Global Business Services (FGBS) Initiative (WiFi) are groups which have chapters dedicated to attracting, developing and retaining women in technology roles. Other groups include, People with Disabilities, Black Employee Network, Asians@Amazon, and Glamazon (our LGBTQIA+ network). Find out more about our Amazon affinity groups here.

We continue to invest in local Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) programmes and it is a priority for all leaders across the business. There are also dedicated diversity teams in place to support leaders and teams across Amazon in Ireland to drive progress.

Find out more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Amazon.