Irish women in tech lag 17% behind average pay

By Pádraig Hoare

Irish women in the IT sector are the second-best paid in the world but still lag almost a fifth behind their male counterparts when it comes to pay.

That was one of the findings from a global survey on technology job platform Honeypot, which collected data on gender pay gaps in 41 countries in the EU and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The survey found the US offers the highest wages to women working in tech at £61,492 (€70,529) per annum, followed by Ireland at £42,996 and Switzerland at £41,911.

However in Ireland, women earn 17% less than the overall average of £51,991 for tech workers, the survey found. Just under 19% of workers in IT in Ireland are women, it said.

At 30%, Bulgaria has the highest percentage of women working in tech, followed by Australia with 28% and Romania at 26%.

Portugal, the US and Latvia offer the best opportunities for women in tech, with an industry gender pay gap around 6% to 7% less than the overall average wage gap in all industries in each country, the survey found.

The overall gender pay gap in Ireland has actually increased by 1% since 2010, according to the data collected.

Chair at Cork tech organisation IT@Cork, Caroline O’Driscoll said the findings were further proof that more must be done to encourage young women into the science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, as well as addressing the slow progress of women in leadership roles.

Ms O’Driscoll co-founded the Iwish organisation to encourage teenage girls to pursue a career in those subjects.

She said the level of pay in Irish IT jobs was somewhat encouraging but that the gender disparity was symptomatic of a wider problem, namely women not being promoted.

“What is points to is not necessarily women being paid less in the general workforce, but more that there are larger numbers of men that are in senior roles.

“Just 17% of boardrooms are women, and that is still a very poor number. A World Economic Forum report on gender parity found if the current pace of change continues, it will be 217 years before it is addressed. We cannot afford to have young women become discouraged from pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects because of statistics like these. This is why we need the likes of Iwish and other organisations encouraging young women into science, technology, engineering and maths subjects.

“The likes of Facebook didn’t exist 15 years ago, yet now we are asking virtual assistants like Alexa to tell us the time. Technology is moving at an extraordinary pace. These are the jobs of tomorrow,” she said.

Ms O’Driscoll said Cork and Ireland as a whole stood to benefit most as technology grew.

“Cork stands to benefit hugely because we already have a fantastic pipeline with the IT industry co-operating with universities and government. Women cannot miss out,” she said.

The Honeypot survey found the US has the highest number of women in the labour force overall. Lithuania has the highest percentage of female workforce at 51%, one of only two alongside Latvia at 50% countries in the index that have a higher percentage of women than men working.

Turkey has the smallest percentage of female workforce at around 32%, yet has the highest percentage of female graduates in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects at 37%. It has the lowest gender pay gap for tech jobs in the index, and the fifth lowest overall gender wage gap.

Honeypot cofounder Emma Tracey said: “This would suggest that although there are cultural barriers working against women in Turkey, those that do work are paid more fairly for their contributions than many countries which consider themselves to be more equal such as Germany and the UK.”

Ms Tracey said one of the most surprising findings was that Israel, the so-called Start-Up Nation with its Silicon Wadi, has only 26,000 women working in tech, accounting for only 11% of its IT industry.

“With a technology gender wage gap of over 27%, it could be surmised that Israeli women are discouraged from joining the tech workforce when there is better pay to be found elsewhere,” she said.

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PwC defends charging €23million for eight weeks work on Carillion liquidation

PwC has raked in over £20million (€23m) for its role in winding down failed outsourcer Carillion, with the British accountancy giant set to pocket even more cash as the process drags on.

The professional services firm said the costs accounted for its first eight weeks of work following Carillion's collapse in January, when it had been drafted in with just 12 hours notice.

David Kelly, partner and special manager at PwC, told the UK's Business and Pensions Committees that the current weekly charge for PwC services was around £1.4million, with staff rates sitting at around £360 per hour.

Mr Kelly, whose own hourly charge out rate is £865, said the final bill was to be determined.

"It is too early to say what the ultimate costs will be, given where we are in the process," Mr Kelly said.

A better estimate would likely be available in June, when the firm would also have a clearer view on how much cash would be made available to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), which now houses Carillion's pension scheme.

He explained that money for PwC's own fees as well as for the PPF would be taken from the cash recovered from the liquidation of Carillion assets.

When asked by MPs whether PwC was at the head of the payment queue, Mr Kelly said: "We are one of the earlier payments to come out."

The professional services firm partner was unable to answer questions over the likely outcome of a dispute over Carillion's work in Qatar, leading MPs to criticise its lack of knowledge about the contract.

"You've seen the books - you don't get much for the money do you? What does £20 million get you these days?" Labour MP and Business Committee member Peter Kyle said.

The comment prompted a defence from Mr Kelly over the work completed to date.

"What £20 million has got ,though, is we have worked very hard to mitigate the impact and the consequences of the insolvency process on a number of the stakeholders", he said.

"One of the things that we have done - immediately on appointment - was to accelerate the payment terms on which the suppliers to the liquidation are getting paid.

"So now they're actually getting paid, there or thereabouts, within 30 days of invoicing, rather than the 120 days that you have heard."

Mr Kelly said around 112 PwC staff are dedicated to the Carillion wind-down, down from 257 who began the project in January.

Of the 18,100 people employed by Carillion at the time of its collapse, only 7,100 remain, servicing around 70 contracts.

Around 9,500 have either found work outside of Carillion or have migrated with some of the contracts which have been sold or "transitioned", while 1,600 staff have been made redundant.

"Of those 70 contracts do we anticipate finding a home for all of those? Yes we do," Mr Kelly said.

"In terms of what the consequence of that is on the residual 7,100 employees, a very large number of those will transition with those contracts when the customer has found the new home for them.

"In terms of exactly how many of those people are required, again it is too early to say because those conversations are ongoing."

He said PwC has worked "very hard" with Carillion's HR team to speed up the pace of redundancy payment, which are usually received within four to six weeks but are now being doled out within six days.

Mr Kelly assured additional support was also being provided to those staff let go in the wake of the liquidation.

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Wagamama launches bill-free payment app

Restaurant chain Wagamama has launched a payment app allowing diners to order, eat and walk out without waiting for the bill.

The chain said the wagamamago app will save diners an average of 12 minutes at every meal by not having to wait for the bill to arrive and then go through the process of paying.

Diners open the app on entering the restaurant, which supplies a four digit code to be given to the waiter to pair with the till.

The technology, run by Mastercard, stores card details and takes payment automatically, with the receipt emailed to the bill-payer.

The free app is available on iOS and Android (Wagamama/PA)

Wagamama customer director Emma Woods said: “We wanted to bring truly frictionless payment to restaurants as we know waiting for the bill is frustrating.

“No more waving your hand in the air, trying to catch the waiter’s eye, once you’re ready you just go, and customers are automatically charged with the receipt emailed directly.

“Customers are accustomed to one-click payments for online retailers and walk-out payments from Uber, but there hasn’t been an app offering all of these functions for restaurants, which is what we have now created.”

Wagamama chief information officer Richard Tallboy said he thought of the idea while at the chain’s busiest restaurant at Heathrow Terminal 5, where diners wanted to leave quickly after meals to get to the departure lounge in time.

He said: “We wanted to make the dining experience easier and still retain the interaction of the waiter because we didn’t want a restaurant full of people ordering food on their mobile devices and not enjoying the experience.

“Getting the bill is the last thing a customer experiences and it was important that this be quick and stress-free for our customers.”

The free app, available on iOS and Android, also allows customers to order more items from their phone, split the bill and pre-order takeaway.

Jennifer Macrae, vice president of product innovation at Mastercard, said: “We are bringing our digital ordering and payment technology – Qkr – into an app tailor-made for Wagamama’s loyal customers.

“We can adapt this technology to any kind of restaurant and Wagamama is the first to use it in this way, allowing customers to order from phones, and simply walk away.”

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Fingerprint authentication added to Amazon’s in-home delivery service app

Amazon Key has added another layer of security by updating its app to include fingerprint authentication.

The Amazon Key service, made available in the United States last November, allows customers to have their packages securely delivered inside their home without having to be there.

The app works with a smart lock and an Amazon Cloud Cam, which allows users to grant delivery access to their house and monitor everything through a security camera.

The app has now been updated to include fingerprint authentication, meaning that access to remotely lock and unlock their doors is more protected.

(kasinv/Getty Images)

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Press Association that fingerprint authentication is now available on Android, but the company has not yet released details as to when the update will be coming to iOS.

Users can grant guests – for example cleaners or dog walkers – a code to enter their home. Amazon couriers do not use a code, but are granted access via the cloud once an encrypted authentication process has been passed and the camera has begun recording.

When Amazon Key was first announced, Peter Larsen, vice president of delivery technology, said: “Amazon Key gives customers peace of mind knowing their orders have been safely delivered to their homes and are waiting for them when they walk through their doors.

“Prime members can select in-home delivery and conveniently see their packages being delivered right from their mobile phones.”

Amazon Key is currently available in 37 cities and surrounding areas across the United States.

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Dip in number of new-car registrations

New car registrations for the year to date are down 3.5% to just over 54,000.

However, there was only a slight drop in the month of February, where 17,081 cars were registered.

Imported used cars increased by 14.4% last month and are up by more than 17% for the year to date.

The figures were compiled by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.

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Meghan and Harry invite 1,200 members of public to share wedding day

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced that thousands of people will be invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle to share their wedding day.

Kensington Palace said 1,200 members of the public will be among a crowd of 2,640 allowed in to watch the arrivals of the bride and groom and their guests at St George's Chapel on May 19, and see the newlyweds start their carriage procession through Windsor.

The palace said in a statement: "Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle have said they want their wedding day to be shaped so as to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too.

"This wedding, like all weddings, will be a moment of fun and joy that will reflect the characters and values of the bride and groom."

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The 1,200 members of the public will be drawn "from every corner of the United Kingdom" said Kensington Palace, and will be nominated to attend by nine regional Lord Lieutenant offices.

Harry and Ms Markle have asked that the people chosen are from a broad range of backgrounds and ages, including young people who have shown strong leadership, and those who have served their communities.

The rest of the invited group will consist of:

- 200 people from a range of charities and organisations with which Harry and Ms Markle have a close association, including those the prince serves as patron.

- 100 pupils from two local schools: The Royal School, Great Park, Windsor, and St George's School, Windsor Castle - both of which have a strong affiliation with the Windsor Castle community.

- 610 Windsor Castle community members, including residents of Windsor Castle and members of the St George's Chapel community.

- 530 members of the Royal Households and Crown Estate.

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Deja vu for Arsenal as City dominate again

Manchester City inflicted more pain on Arsene Wenger with a second crushing 3-0 victory over his Arsenal side in the space of four days.

After losing Sunday's Carabao Cup final, the Gunners could not find any level of retribution as they were again humbled by far superior opposition in Pep Guardiola's 100th game in charge.

Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Leroy Sane all scored wonderful first-half goals for City, who now require only five more wins to secure the Premier League title.

Arsenal were better than they were at Wembley but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second-half penalty miss summed up their current form.

The game at the Emirates Stadium went ahead despite sub-zero temperatures and snowfall across much of the country.

Wenger must have been left wishing the fixture had fallen foul of the conditions as his players failed to weather another City storm.

Gary Neville labelled Arsenal "spineless" during Sky's coverage of the cup final and he was commentating again tonight but all he could do this time was aim superlatives at a superb City performance.

The Gunners started with a vigour that was missing for much of Sunday's final and were unlucky not to go ahead when a low Aaron Ramsey cross cannoned off Vincent Kompany, with the ball fortuitously bouncing against Ederson in the visitors' goal.

Arsenal were creating the better chances in the opening exchanges and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, returning to the side having been cup-tied at Wembley, hit a left-footed drive straight at Ederson as they looked to make their early dominance pay.

But that good work was undone with a moment of class from Bernardo Silva, who was found by Sane following a jinking run before bending a perfect strike past Petr Cech to open the scoring.

Granit Xhaka's well-struck free-kick got Arsenal fired up once more, with Ramsey the next to test Ederson.

But again it was a combination of individual and collective brilliance which saw City double their lead.

Sane embarrassed Shkodran Mustafi with some neat skill, with his pass into Aguero laid off to David Silva for the Spaniard to finish with aplomb.

It threatened to get more galling for Wenger and his side when Sane scored a goal of his own, finishing Kyle Walker's cross at the end of a slick attack.

Arsenal passed up a glorious chance to reduce the arrears when Aubameyang's tame penalty was pushed clear by Ederson after Nicolas Otamendi had upended Mkhitaryan.

The Gabon striker then flashed a volley just wide as he looked to add to the solitary goal he has scored since joining for a club-record fee on transfer deadline day.

With the weather conditions worsening, the game lost any sense of haste as the visitors seemed pleased to settle on a three-goal advantage.

Aguero almost added a fourth - which would have been his 200th City goal - only for Petr Cech to make a smart save low to his right.

But by then the points were safely in the bag and plenty of Arsenal fans were on their way home.

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Man charged over white powder letters sent to recipients including Donald Trump Jr

A man has been arrested and charged with sending letters with white powder to five people, including one to Donald Trump Jr. that landed his wife, Vanessa, in hospital. (The couple is pictured below.)

Daniel Frisiello, of Massachusetts, is accused of mailing five envelopes earlier this month with threatening messages and a white substance, which turned out to be non-hazardous.

He was held during an appearance in US federal court in Worcester on Thursday pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday.

Frisiello showed no emotion as he was led into court wearing a red polo shirt with his hands cuffed and ankles shackled. A prosecutor said family members told them Frisiello may be on medications for suicidal thoughts.

"These kind of hoaxes may not cause physical harm, but they scare the heck out of people," said Andrew Lelling, US lawyer for Massachusetts.

Hoax attacks using white powder play on fears that date to 2001, when letters containing deadly anthrax were mailed to news organisations and the offices of two US senators. Those letters killed five people.

Authorities say Frisiello sent five envelopes early last month that included threatening messages often containing profanities and white substances. The envelopes were postmarked in Boston.

Federal authorities said one of the letters containing powder was sent to Antonio Sabato Jr, the Republican former underwear model and soap opera actor who is running for a US House seat in California.

Other recipients were Debbie Stabenow, the Democratic US senator from Michigan; Nicola Hanna, an interim US lawyer in California; and Michele Dauber, a Stanford University law professor who has promoted the effort to recall the judge who presided over the Brock Turner sexual assault case.

The letter to the president's son was opened by Vanessa Trump on February 12. She called 911 and reported she was coughing and felt nauseous. She was taken to hospital briefly.

The substance in the letter turned out to be cornstarch.

The envelope sent to Mr Trump junior included a typed message calling him an "awful, awful person", according to court documents.

"I am surprised that your father lets you speak on TV," the message said. "You make the family idiot, Eric, look smart."

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Political bombshell: Carles Puigdemont abandons bid to reclaim presidency of Catalonia

Catalonia's fugitive ex-leader has dropped a political bombshell, unexpectedly announcing that he is temporarily withdrawing his bid to get back his old job as president of Catalonia.

Carles Puigdemont said in a video message posted from Brussels, where he fled to escape arrest in Spain, that he is standing aside so the Catalan parliament can find another candidate to form a regional government that presses ahead with deadlocked efforts to win independence.

Mr Puigdemont is a charismatic leader of the independence movement and is the preferred candidate of most Catalan secessionists to head the regional government. By escaping to Belgium, he was widely seen in Catalonia as having outsmarted the national government, which has repeatedly blocked the region's secession attempts and used the courts and police to crack down on separatists.

Catalonia's future has been deadlocked since defiant secessionists gained a slim majority in the Catalan parliament in December's regional election.

Separatist parties in the regional parliament insisted earlier on Thursday that Mr Puigdemont is their legitimate leader despite a ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court that he cannot take office because he is not in Spain.

Mr Puigdemont suggested the Catalan parliament pick Jordi Sanchez, a political ally in the secession bid who is currently in jail in Madrid while a court mulls formal charges against him, as president.

But the Spanish government says it will not allow anybody facing legal action over secession to become Catalan president, so Mr Puigdemont's announcement did little to increase the chances of ending the stalemate.

The confrontation in recent months prompted the national government to impose direct rule over Catalonia from Madrid.

The Supreme Court is looking into whether two dozen Catalan separatists, including Mr Sanchez, should be charged for rebellion and sedition, which can be punished with decades in prison.

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