A recent government report indicates that women have been surpassing men in attaining senior roles within the Civil Service. Even though a larger number of men have applied for these positions over the past three years, the Top Level Appointments Committee has recommended more female candidates for recruitment to top tier roles.
As of February 2022, women accounted for 54% of those recommended for top-level positions, despite men constituting 64% of the 486 eligible applicants. The report also highlighted that, by the final interview stage, the proportion of men and women was practically the same – with a slight male majority at 51%.
Furthermore, it was noted that out of the 28 individuals endorsed for senior management roles, a majority of 54% were women. Despite the positive gender balance, the report expressed apprehensiveness regarding the lack of diversity within those aspiring to, and obtaining, high-ranking placements.
The committee stated in 2022 that it would be beneficial for the Civil Service’s makeup to closely mirror the ethnic diversity of the broader community. It was starkly highlighted in the 2021 report that there was an alarming absence of ethnic variation among candidates who have reached the early and final stages of interviews, in spite of a growing ethnically diverse intake into the overall workforce.
For the first time in history, the 2022 report has released data on the nationality and ethnicity of those applying for high-ranking positions. Approximately 90 per cent of these applicants identified as white Irish, or chose not to disclose their ethnicity. Above 4 per cent revealed they were white from non-Irish origins.
Around 3 per cent claimed to be of Asian or Asian-Irish ethnicity. There was one applicant of black or black-Irish-African heritage. Although the ethnic data collected is somewhat limited, the report claims it as “a step in the right direction, setting a foundation for comprehensive reporting in the future”.
The 2022 appointments committee report states that notwithstanding a larger count of eligible applicants originating outside the Civil Service, at 58 per cent, the likelihood for currently serving civil servants to attain a recommendation for a superior appointment outnumbers those from outside the Civil Service.
“In 2022, 82 per cent of the candidates who received recommendations for appointment were serving in the Civil Service”, says the report.
An independent study conducted by The Irish Times on secretaries generals running Government departments discovered that a significant number had received their education in publicly funded schools operated by Christian Brothers, religious nuns, or in local community schools. Some of them entered the Civil Service immediately after completing their Leaving Cert and obtained their tertiary education degrees through night study or later in their work life. However, a number of these individuals have earned degrees from internationally acclaimed universities.