Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) 

Raising the progress flag outside of our NWQ BuildingTo achieve our mission and vision, we need people with diverse experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and thinking styles.

D&I Strategy 2022-2026

Our vision for diversity and inclusion is that the Central Bank:

  • Has a diverse workforce reflecting society in Ireland
  • Makes conscious decisions about how to harness difference to its benefit
  • Is a recognised thought leader on D&I
  • Focus on diversity has a positive influence on the behaviour of the financial services industry.

Our D&I Strategy 2022-2026 outlines our direction and ambition over the next five years and builds on our commitment to building a workplace grounded in fairness, respect and belonging. Each year we have committed to undertaking an action plan that will support this strategy and below you will see the focus areas for 2023, that align to our overall D&I Vision.  

  • Gender
  • Disability
  • Cultural and Ethnic Diversity
  • Neurodiversity

We are also committed to continuing to provide people with relevant and up to date diversity training, support our internal employee networks, understand our people data and continue to raise awareness of the importance of D&I externally. 

Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2026 | pdf 943 KB

D&I Areas of Focus

We:

  • Run thriving employee networks, which are sponsored by our senior leaders
  • Are active members of our local community in Dublin’s Docklands, with a network focused on employability and employment for the local community
  • Have an open, accessible and inclusive work environment and facilities
  • Are members of the 30% Club, signatory to the Inclusive Workplace Pledge and participants in a number of employer diversity groups
  • Launched our Gender Identity and Expression in the Workplace Policy in 2021, which aims to create a welcoming and safe environment for all, regardless of gender identity or expression.

Our Networks

Our employee networks are organised and run by our people who work together to help us fulfil our D&I goals.

Gender Pay Gap Report

51% of employees at the Central Bank are male while 49% are female. The mean gender pay gap is 5.9% in favour of male employees. The gender pay gap was widened by 2% since 30 June 2024 

We have been publishing our annual Gender Pay Gap report since 2018 as part of our ongoing commitment to D&I. The Central Bank has taken a number of actions to address gender pay and representation. These include setting diversity representation goals for our senior leadership population, improvements around talent acquisition; the introduction of flexible-working policies and enhanced leave supports; career development programmes; and our employee-led networks.

Find out more by reading the Gender Pay Gap Report 2024 in full.

Elevate Pledge

In 2021, we became one of the founding signatories of the “BITC Ireland Elevate Pledge". The overall goal of the Pledge is to build an inclusive workforce that reflects all of our society. This is aligned with our existing D&I vision and commitments as well as our broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) objectives. With this Pledge, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to making D&I a priority for the Central Bank

ESCB & SSM Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Charter

In 2022, together with many of our European peers, we have signed up to the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) & Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Charter which states our collective commitment to fostering equality, diversity and inclusion within the ESCB and SSM. 

Diversity & Inclusion in Regulated Firms

Our focus on D&I extends to our role as regulator. We expect the firms we regulate to place a greater focus on diversity and inclusion and there are a number of activities underway to support this. Our dual focus on diversity and inclusion as an employer and regulator means that we are embedding diversity and inclusion into who we are and what we do.

Demographics of the Financial Sector report