Ken Mulkearn

Ken Mulkearn is one of the founding principals of Incomes Data Research (IDR) and is an experienced pay communicator and editor-in-chief who leads IDR’s internal research and networking. He jointly leads a team of researchers that monitor and report on pay trends across the whole economy. He has led a range of research projects for clients such as the Low Pay Commission, the Office for Manpower Economics and employers in the private and public services. 

Prior to setting up IDR, he was Head of Pay and Research at Incomes Data Services (IDS), where he led the Pay & Reward, Executive Compensation, and Research Services teams. He was Editor of the monthly IDS Pay Report and a range of specialist sector reports, including ‘Pay and benefits in the public services’, ‘Pay and conditions in call centres’, ‘Pay and conditions in engineering’ and ‘Pay in retail’.  

His specialisms include industrial relations, equal pay, job evaluation, the labour market, low pay and pay progression. Ken regularly speaks to a wide range of audiences on pay issues. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Research in Employment and Work (CREW) Unit at the University of Greenwich. He holds an MSc in social research methods from the London School of Economics, where he also took modules in industrial relations. His primary degree is from Trinity College, Dublin.