A new survey has found that nearly two-thirds of staff in Ireland’s Public Service are satisfied with the terms and conditions of their employment, although there are significant concerns over lack of access to promotions.
The Report, released by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, says the findings are very positive overall, including that more staff in the Public Service now feel more positive about the impact of their work than in previous surveys since 2015
The Department’s Report suggests the widely-publicised continuity of service delivery during the pandemic may have contributed to this positive increase.
The study found that 63 per cent of staff overall reported they were satisfied with the terms and conditions of their employment.
This represents a 21-point increase since a similar survey was carried out in 2015.
However, there were significant differences between grades of staff with regard to perception around pay and performance and parity with the private sector.
The Department said administrative, executive and clerical officers “stated that they do not feel their pay adequately reflects their performance”.
“Furthermore 66 per cent of senior managers feel that it often seems like there is too much work for one person to do,” it said.
“This score decreases among the lower grades.”
While findings in relation to promotion had improved on those in previous surveys “they are still challenging” the report found.
“Only 36 per cent of staff report that their Department or Office has a clear and fair promotion process; fewer than half of staff at Clerical Officer to Principal Officer level believe that if they perform well they will be promoted,” the Department said.
Dublin, 16 May 2021
