Air Corps personnel eye private sector jobs
The percentage of those looking to quit the Defence Forces for better opportunities in the private sector is highest among air corps personnel, with those in the naval service a close second.
Privates and their equivalent ranks are the ones most likely to bail out, but a large percentage of highly-trained non-commissioned officers (NCOs) say they also have had enough.
The figures are contained in yet another damning survey of morale in the Defence Forces, this time compiled for the Public Service Pay Commission by independent company Research Matters Ltd, which highlights why trying to retain personnel has become a major crisis.
Of the approximately 2,000 Defence Forces personnel questioned for the survey, 76.7% in the air corps said they were viewing significantly better job alternatives elsewhere. The proportion was 72.6% in the naval service, and 69.6% in the army.
Of the army privates and their naval service ordinary/able seamen and air corps airmen equivalents surveyed, 57.8% signalled they intend to quit their jobs within the next two years.
The figure was only slightly lower, at 56.5%, for NCOs, who are the backbone of the Defence Forces. This and the fact that 42.6% of officers want out will seriously concern senior military management who are having to cope with an increasing ‘brain drain’ of experienced personnel.
Officers repeatedly told interviewers they were concerned for the welfare of enlisted men and women under their command.
Nearly one in every four officers signalling their intention to quit cited an excessive workload due to understaffing as their main issue. They said they were double-, triple-, and quadruple-jobbing and this was having a negative impact on their work/life balance.
Reduced pension entitlements introduced for officers who were commissioned from 2013 on were identified as “an absolute disaster for the Defence Forces”.
NCOs cited responsibility overload, burnout, job demands, and commuting pressure as the main negatives in their jobs.
However, the report stated that the single overwhelming reason for them leaving the Defence Forces was pay and conditions.
The NCOs also suggested those working in the naval service experience higher workloads and lower levels of work/life balance than the other two branches of the Defence Forces.
The majority of privates and their equivalents told the survey they were experiencing difficulties in work/life planning and reported low levels of job satisfaction.
In total, 90% of privates who expressed an intention to leave identified poor pay as the primary reason.
The report stated:
“There is widespread agreement that the overall remuneration for the responsibility and level of work undertaken is insufficient, and there is a sense of grievance that pay restoration following the cuts imposed following the 2008 economic crisis has not taken place.”
Payment for 24-hour duty allowances was singled out for particular mention. Enlisted personnel receive €20 after tax for a 24-hour shift. Those surveyed said this was “insulting and derisory”.
