The pay gap between men and women in Ireland has widened, official figures have revealed.

The difference in average wage levels had been decreasing for years but the trend has reversed since 2007.

The latest report by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows women are now getting paid almost 13 per cent less then their male counterparts.

The gender gap had dropped to a record low of 10.7 per cent in October 2007. But since then it has continued to widen, with slight increases over the following two years.

CSO officials said the latest figures from its National Employment Survey - for October 2009 - put the average pay difference between men and women at 12.8 per cent.

The report found that average earnings in October 2009 were €22.05 an hour, up 2 per cent on the previous year.

It shows that men's average hourly pay was €23.63 compared to €20.61 for women.

Wage gaps in other European countries are as low as 3.2 per cent, in Slovenia, with Italy on 5.5 per cent and Malta on 6.9 per cent.

The highest inequality levels were reported for Estonia, on 30.9 per cent, followed by the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany

When the survey was first carried out in 2003, there was a 15.8 per cent gender gap in Irish wages, which had been closing until four years ago.

The CSO said the overall unadjusted gender pay gap is an important indicator.

But it added issues like occupation, whether employment was full-time or part-time and what sector the job was in needed to be considered for a fuller understanding of the pay difference.

PA