Fees paid to people sitting on interview and assessment panels for public sector jobs topped €2m in the space of a year, with two individuals earning more than €40,000 each for their work.
Figures from the publicjobs service detail how €1.32m of the total was shared among retired civil or public sector staff in 2024.
A further €544,000 was paid to people from the private sector while semi-state employees, mostly retired, shared a total of €160,000 in fees.
There was also a small total of €13,700 for retired academics, people from the charity sector, public servants from different countries, and other miscellaneous individuals.
The overall spend in 2024 was €2.035m, which covered interviews, shortlisting, and other assessment exercises, including the 15,803 interviews carried out that year.
Two people earned more than €40,000 for their work on interview panels, according to figures released under Freedom of Information laws.
One retired civil or public servant received €43,365 while a retired semi-state employee was paid €42,525 in fees.
There were four others who earned fees of between €30,000 and €40,000, two from the private sector, one retired public servant, and one retired semi-state worker.
Eleven others earned between €20,000 and €30,000 – many of them ex-public sector staff.
The publicjobs figures showed that 50 people received in excess of €12,350 in fees for their work sitting on interview panels in 2024.
Internal records show that payments are made on a daily rate basis with fees varying depending on seniority and expertise.
The rates can range from around €130 at the lowest end of the scale up to €469 per day for management consultants.
Asked about the expenditure, the publicjobs service said they were committed to best practice at all stages of the recruitment, assessment, and selection process.
“We utilise a panel of suitably experienced and trained board members to assess, evaluate, and select candidates for the wide range of positions for which we recruit,” a spokesperson said.
“Board members can include current civil and public servants, individuals from the private and semi-state sectors, and retired civil and public servants and trade union officials,” they said.
“Fees paid to board members for services provided are based on agreed and sanctioned rates, in accordance with their expertise and experience,” they stated.
The spokesperson added that they worked to minimise the cost of recruitment competitions at all times.
Reporting by Ken Foxe
