Medica Ireland, part of Medica Group, is the largest teleradiology provider in Ireland and one of three radiology providers on the national HSE framework. In addition to supporting public healthcare, Medica Ireland collaborates with private hospitals to deliver high-quality patient care, helping to reduce waiting times for diagnostic imaging and reporting.
With a dedicated team of 155 employees, Medica Ireland proudly serves approximately 400,000 patients annually, reflecting its unwavering commitment to healthcare excellence.
Context
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act was signed into Irish law in 2021 and began having practical effect in 2022 for employers with more than 250 employees. In 2024 this advanced to employers with more than 150 employees, and this figure has brought Medica into scope.
It is important to clarify the distinction between the gender pay gap and equal pay. The gender pay gap is a measure of what women are paid relative to men across all departments and job roles. It is calculated by looking at the difference between average hourly earnings of male and female employees, regardless of their roles, job titles, length of service, or experience.
In contrast, equal pay means that men and women are paid the same for performing the same or similar work, or work of equal value.
At Medica Ireland, we are fully committed to both principles: maintaining equal pay and actively working to address the factors contributing to our gender pay gap.
Overview
Medica Ireland is a female led organisation; women hold 100% of positions on the leadership team and 73% of positions on the management team. As demonstrated below, the main reason for Medica Ireland’s gender pay gap is gender representation, the unequal distribution of male and females in our workforce. This is because whilst women predominantly occupy managerial roles, women also predominately occupy roles in the lower quartile, which are more numerous than managerial positions.
The calculation of the gender pay gap includes all employees (full-time and part-time) employed as of 30th June 2024 using an hourly rate derived from individuals’ pay, bonus, and working hours over the preceding 12 months.
We are committed to continuing to ensure equal pay and to addressing the factors that contribute to our gender pay gap as part of our ongoing efforts.
Caroline Byrne, Managing Director
The report
| Mean and median pay and bonus gap | ||
| Mean | Median | |
| Gender pay gap | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| Gender bonus gap | -35% | 34% |
The data indicates that Medica Ireland has a mean gender pay gap of 8.5%, meaning the average total pay for men is 8.5% higher than that of women. The median (middle) pay gap is slightly lower, with men earning 6.8% more than women.
In contrast, the mean gender bonus gap is -35%, meaning that, on average, women received bonuses that were 35% higher than those of men. However, the median gender bonus gap is 34% in favour of men. This disparity is explained by the distribution of Medica Ireland’s workforce.
The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the national mean gender pay gap in the Republic of Ireland was 9.6% in 2022.
Quartiles
Quartiles are used to divide all employees into four equally sized groups based on their hourly pay, starting from the lowest-paid to the highest-paid. This method helps to analyse the distribution of male and female employees across the organisation’s pay structure.
- Lower quartile: Includes the 25% of employees who are paid the least
- Lower-middle quartile: Covers the next 25% of employees after the lower quartile
- Upper-middle quartile: Represents the 25% of employees earning above the lower-middle quartile but below the upper quartile
- Upper quartile: Comprises the 25% of employees with the highest pay
Understanding Medica Ireland’s figures requires an awareness of workforce distribution. Women make up 75% of Medica Ireland’s employees, holding 87% of positions in the lower quartile and 76% in the upper quartile. As noted, Medica is a female led organisation with 73% of roles at management level held by women, women also predominantly occupy roles in the lower quartile, which are more numerous than managerial positions.
| Hourly pay | |
| % Gap 2024 | |
| Mean, all employees | 8.5% |
| Median, all employees | 6.8% |
| Mean, part time employees | 29.8% |
| Median, part time eployees | -4.2% |
| Mean, temporary employees | 3.2% |
| Median, temporary employees | 1.2% |
The significant gender pay gap for all part-time roles is explained because very few male employees work part-time and they are part of the upper and upper middle quartile while women represent 87% of the part-time workforce and are mostly in the lower and lower middle quartile.
However, the median gender pay gap for part-time employees is -4.2% meaning that the middle pay gap for part-time staff is higher for women than men.
The mean gender pay gap for temporary employees is 3.2%, while the median gap is 1.2%. These small differences reflect the varied specialisations within our staff in clinics and suggest that men are predominantly working in higher-paid specialisations. In contrast, women in this category are more equally represented across the quartiles.
Benefits in kind and bonuses
| Benefits in kind | ||
| Male | Female | |
| % Receiving B.I.K | 2.6% | 0.9% |
| Proportion of male and female employees receive bonus | ||
| Male | 37% | |
| Female | 34% | |
The data indicates that a slightly higher proportion of male employees at Medica Ireland receive benefits in kind (2.6%) compared to female employees (0.9%). This disparity is because a very small number of employees who joined Medica from other organisations were legally entitled to retain a previous benefit.
Similarly, the percentage of employees receiving bonuses is marginally higher among men (37%) than women (34%). These differences reflect the composition of the workforce, including variations in eligibility for benefits and bonuses based on specific job roles.
It is important to note, however, that the mean gender bonus gap is -35%, indicating that, on average, women receive higher bonuses than men. It also highlights the strong representation of women in leadership positions at Medica Ireland, with three out of four management team members being women.
Our commitment
Develop more pathways for staff in lower grade positions to progress within the organisation through formalisation of our mentorship programme and continued employee development initiatives.
Review recruitment processes including the language used for lower grade positions to ensure we are attracting more men to these roles. Introduce unconscious bias training for all hiring managers.
Introduce unconscious bias training for all staff within Medica Ireland.
We will continue to introduce policies and supports that encourage and enable an inclusive culture and gender equality.
Continue to encourage and support the work of our equality, diversity and inclusion forum whose mission is to represent the Medica workforce and champion a culture where all identities and lifestyle are respected, and everyone has a responsibility to foster a culture of inclusion.