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 50 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 Sup Svcs Ltd, Amazon Data Srvcs Ireland Ltd, Amazon Dev Centre Ireland Ltd, AWS EMEA SARL (Irish Branch), and Re:Cycle Reverse Logistics Ireland Limited), and the mean gender pay gap for these entities range between 2.0% - 28.5%. According to the Central Statistics Office, the national average gender pay gap in Ireland for 2022[1] was 9.6% (in favour of men). According to PwC's analysis of more than 550 Irish employers who reported under statutory GPG obligation, their mean GPG stands at 11.2%[2].
Amazon’s Ireland gender pay gap reports are available here.
How is Amazon working to create a more diverse 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.
Amazon 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 November 2025, Amazon welcomed almost 200 students from Tallaght, Blanchardstown, Clonshaugh & Drogheda to the DUB14 office for Girls Tech Day. First years and year class pupils attending represented seven DEIS schools in Amazon’s local communities: Scoil Aonghusa, St Paul’s Senior National School, St Kevin's GNS, St Patrick’s Senior National School and St Anne’s Primary School. The day featured a range of engaging activities, inspiring speakers and a panel discussion with the aim of encouraging more girls to consider studies and careers in STEM.
In September 2024, Amazon launched the Mobile Think Big Space, which aims to provide students, educators, and the broader community with access to high-quality resources for learning about cloud computing and technology, will bring all of the equipment and expertise needed to run a coding and robotics workshop directly into primary school classrooms in the communities where AWS operates its data centres in Ireland.
The initiative is based on the Amazon Think Big Space, which first launched in Tallaght in 2022. The original programme was created together with South Dublin County Council (SDCC) and South Dublin Libraries to provide a place beyond the classroom for students to explore and cultivate an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) and STEAM-related careers. It was the first Amazon Think Big Space to open in Europe.
Since launching, over 22,000 students, and 900 teachers, educators, and youth group leaders have engaged with the programme, with 70% of schools engaged in the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme.
Encouraging diversity in higher education
For the past seven 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. Amazon 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. Amazon 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.
AWS supported a new Global Fellowships programme in University of Limerick 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
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 over 400 employees participate in the Career Choice programme to upskill in their preferred field.
Amazon future ready
Emerging technologies are creating tremendous opportunities for people around the world, and we’re committed to unlocking their full potential in ways that positively impact our employees and communities across America and around the globe. We’re investing billions in infrastructure and education to empower as many people as possible to build stronger communities and create new jobs through this technological transformation.
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 many employee-led groups. They play an important role in bringing Amazon employees together and create a sense of community globally while encouraging inclusivity and diversity. Women At, 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 At Amazon, and Glamazon (our LGBTQIA+ network). Find out more about our Amazon employee-led groups here.
We continue to invest in local efforts and programmes to drive diversity, which is a priority for all leaders across the business. Find out more about our work in this space here.
[1] Central Statistical Office Structure of Earnings Survey 2022: national GPG in Ireland for 2022 - 9.6%.
[2] PwC’s GPG reporting: spotlight on year two: the mean GPG across all reported companies - 11.2%.
