A report on directors' pay at companies listed on the Irish Stock Exchange has found an average basic pay rise of 12% last year.
Btu the report, carried out by consulting company Hewitt Associates, said the increase was 30% when other elements such as bonuses and share options were included.
The research also finds that an average of 40% of directors' earnings are now dependent on elements which are linked to performance.
Hewitt looked at remuneration packages for the directors of 69 companies listed in Dublin. The median salary for a company's highest paid director was €610,000. The total pay package for the highest-paid director in each firm typically ranged from €496,000 for smaller companies to €2m for larger firms.
