RTÉ has reported a modest reduction in its gender pay gap for 2024, as new figures show a slight improvement from last year. The broadcaster’s mean gender pay gap now stands at 10.09%, down from 11.29% in 2023. The median gender pay gap saw a smaller decrease, from 12.75% to 12.74%.
The mean gender pay gap is calculated by comparing the average hourly pay for men and women, while the median gap reflects the difference in hourly pay between the middle-placed man and woman.
RTÉ explained that the gender pay gap is largely driven by differences in grades eligible for overtime payments. When excluding these grades, the mean gender pay gap drops to 8.60%, and the median gap reduces significantly to 5.39%.
The broadcaster also noted that the disparity is influenced by the higher proportion of men in senior-level and higher-paid positions. Although the number of women in management positions has remained stable, RTÉ highlighted that there has been an increase in the number of women at more senior management levels.
Fluctuations in the organization’s workforce, particularly due to major live events and elections, also contributed to some of the changes in the figures. RTÉ said addressing these variations presents unique challenges, given the dynamic nature of its operations.
RTÉ’s gender pay gap report outlines several measures the organization is implementing to address the issue, including offering flexible working options, expanding learning and development opportunities, and improving its hiring processes to be more inclusive.
Director General Kevin Bakhurst emphasized that the gender pay gap does not reflect unequal pay for equal work but rather the uneven representation of men and women across different roles and pay levels within the company. “While the improvements we have made may appear small, I am encouraged to see the trend moving in the right direction, particularly given the complexity of RTÉ as an organization with a very low turnover of staff,” Bakhurst said in a message to employees.
As part of regulations, companies above a certain size are required to publish their gender pay gap reports in December. A recent PwC analysis revealed that the mean hourly gender pay gap across 550 companies was 11.2%, showing a decrease from the previous year’s gap of 12.6%.
