Average staff numbers at RTÉ were even higher last year than in 2022

Annual report reveals the financial state of the national broadcaster RTÉ staff numbers have remained static, despite several redundancy programmes. Photo: Collins Director general Kevin Bakhurst announced a hiring freeze last year The average number of employees in RTÉ last year was higher than the year before, according to its newly published annual report. This was despite a recruitment freeze announced last September by director general Kevin Bakhurst.

The broadcaster said the average annual number of full-time, part-time and casual employees during the year was 1,852. This was up from 1,817 in 2022. By the end of the year, there had been a slight decrease in staff numbers.



There were 1,836 employees on December 31, of whom 204 were part-time or casual. The full-time equivalent (FTE) headcount was 1,734, which was virtually identical to the number at the end of 2022, when it stood at 1,735. The figures show RTÉ has made no progress in reducing its workforce over the last five years, despite a series of redundancy programmes.

In 2019, the total headcount was 1,831, five fewer than at the end of last year. The number of full-time equivalents was 1,714, which was 20 fewer than at the end of last year. RTÉ had a voluntary exit programme in 2021.

While there were 177 applicants, only 26 were successful. In the annual report, RTÉ said it is implementing an “employment first” policy, following a report by Eversheds into the broadcaster’s use of freelancers and contractors. The policy is now to treat all roles as “employment”, unless they meet certain criteria that make them independent contractors.

RTÉ said this policy “is increasing headcount across the organisation”. Director general Kevin Bakhurst announced a hiring freeze last year There is a new plan to reduce staff numbers by up to 400 through another voluntary redundancy scheme, which would cost €50m. RTÉ aims to achieve 40 of those redundancies this year.

The hiring freeze means only roles categorised as “business critical” can be filled. However, the station has continued to advertise vacancies since last September, most recently a deputy editor to join the Upfront with Katie Hannon team. It is currently seeking a regional production engineer, and a head of network integrity at 2RN, its transmission network.

RTÉ’s wage bill increased last year, partly due to a deal reached with trade unions in November 2022, which put an extra €9.8m on personnel-related costs. The total pay bill, including pension and social welfare contributions, came to €156.

9m, up from €150.8m in 2022. Staff travel and subsistence costs were also up last year, increasing from €2.

9m in 2022 to €3.35m. Overall, RTÉ reported a net deficit of €9.

1m, following the collapse in public payment of the TV licence fee due to the Ryan Tubridy secret payments controversy, plus an increase in operating costs. The annual report reveals that sales of the RTÉ Guide were down 7.6pc year-on-year last year, which was “in line with a market that is estimated to have declined by 8pc”.

The magazine’s total sales of 1.53 million included a 6pc decrease in sales of the Christmas issue, which sold 225,335 copies last December. Advertising revenue in the Guide also declined year-on-year, “as the magazine advertising market proved challenging”, RTÉ said.

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