Men are 15% more likely than women to be promoted in Irish companies, says LinkedIn

Women remain underrepresented in the highest ranks of Irish companies and are less likely than men to be promoted to leadership roles, data released by professional network LinkedIn confirms.

In the Republic, women hold 46 per cent of entry level roles and 42 per cent of managerial roles. But this drops steeply to less than one quarter — or 24 per cent — of “c-suite” or top executive positions, LinkedIn said. Men are 15 per cent more likely to receive internal promotions to leadership roles than women, it found, describing this as “gender bias in internal promotion”.

The data is included in the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Gender Gap Report. Although men stand a better chance of being promoted, the gap in probability between male and female internal promotions in the Republic was the third lowest of the 34 countries reviewed.

But across a range of industries, there remains a “significant divergence” between female participation in the workforce and the prevalence of women in leadership roles. The biggest gaps in the Irish jobs market were recorded in retail, which has 51 per cent female representation overall but just 32 per cent at leadership level, and wellness & fitness, where 63 per cent overall female representation drops to 46 per cent in leadership roles.

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Healthcare, real estate and consumer goods also recorded notable differences between female participation in their workforces and the representation of women in leadership positions.

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn said the data showed “targeted action” was needed to make workplaces and societies more equal, including stronger focus on inclusive and fair hiring practices, internal mobility programmes and “normalised” flexible working opportunities. Targeted mentoring and training programmes for women working at the pre-manager level should be created, it said, also recommending increased awareness and training about unconscious bias for hiring managers and interviewers.

“The pandemic hit working women harder than men, as traditional gender roles took hold and female-dominated sectors bore the brunt of lockdowns. The serious lack of women in leadership positions continues to be a real problem, yet data shows that male colleagues are far more likely to be promoted into leadership roles,” said Sue Duke, head of global public policy at LinkedIn.

“While the data is deeply concerning, it points to where progress can be made. It’s clear that taking a hard look at hiring and promotion practices is a critical factor, as is making flexible working the norm for everyone.”