NTMA gender balance figures ‘shocking’

Less than one in five of the highest-paid staff at the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) are women, latest figures show.

At the same time, women make up about two-thirds of the lowest-paid workers at the State agency responsible for funding the running of the country.

More than two years ago, chief executive Conor O'Kelly told an Oireachtas committee that gender imbalance was being addressed with an initiative looking at what "biases might exist" in the organisation.

Figures seen by The Irish Times show there has been little or no change since then.

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There are 270 women working at the NTMA, out of a total staff of just over 500.

Some 55 staff at the agency are on salaries of more than €150,000. Latest figures, compiled last month, show just 10 of those are women, compared to 45 men.

Some 164 staff earn less than €50,000 a year, the lowest-paid employees. The new figures show 109 of them are women.

Salary brackets

The data shows there are equal numbers in the €50,000 and €75,000 salary bracket and a higher number of women (59) in the €75,000 and €100,000 pay scale than men (24). Less than one-third of staff on salaries of more than €100,000 are women.

Some 17 women are earning between €100,000 and €125,000 compared to 30 men, while nine women are on between €125,000 and €150,000 compared to 13 men.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who sits on the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, said the figures are "shocking" given the assurances she was given by Mr O'Kelly when she raised gender imbalance in the NTMA with him at a hearing in July 2016.

“The same pattern continues,” she said.

“Without a doubt this is very disappointing, given there was an assurance that they were taking this issue very seriously. It is a theme that occurs in practically every organisation or public body that comes before us [at the committee].

‘Positive strides’

“As a woman all my life watching this, we are taking one step forward, two steps back. We seem to make progress and then go back.”

A spokesman for the NTMA said the agency had a “strong culture of promoting gender balance, inclusion and diversity” and was making “positive strides, exemplified with the establishment of a gender-balance steering committee in 2016”.

“Work undertaken by this committee includes the establishment of an internal NTMA women’s network, which has been strongly supported by NTMA employees,” he said.

“This initiative aims to facilitate internal networking; to provide an opportunity for mentoring; and to facilitate women in senior roles to share their experiences of their career progression.”