Female executives more likely to be hired externally than promoted from within

In the companies surveyed by the CSO two-thirds of all appointments to senior executive posts within the past two years came from within the business, with one-third of positions filled externally.

The gender breakdown by the CSO revealed that a higher share of external appointments, 43 per cent, went to female senior executives compared to 33 per cent of internal appointments. Picture: Getty

Women are more likely to be hired externally for senior executive roles than promoted internally, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has shown.

The results of the Gender Balance in Business (GBB) survey, which asked firms with 250 or more employees to provide information on the members of their senior executive team and their boards, were published last week.

Of the companies surveyed, two-thirds of all appointments to senior executive posts within the ...