Female graduates have lower wage expectations compared to their male counterparts according to new research from Universum, part of IrishJobs.
The Most Attractive Employers Index shows that male students expect to earn €40,441 in their first full-time job after graduation while female students say they expect to earn €35,891, a gap of approximately 11%.
It is the first time the gap has increased since 2020.
The study was conducted among more than 8,000 students in Ireland across Business & Economics, IT, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Law, and Medicine.
The data also reveals differences in workplace priorities between male and female students.
Female students put a greater emphasis on job security and a friendly work environment while male students are more focused on financial compensation in the form of high future earnings and a competitive base salary.
75% of graduates said that they are interested in remote working opportunities, a 4% increase compared to last year.
"Our findings showed clear differences between male and female graduates in career priorities, with male students prioritising financial compensation more than their female counterparts," said Steve Ward, UK and Ireland Business Director, Universum.
"Despite the rising cost of living, female graduates expect to earn 11% less than male students. Clearly, more work needs to be undertaken by employers to address this issue and achieve greater pay parity," he said.
