According to the most recent data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the average median weekly pay was €699.28 in 2023. This indicated an increase of 4.2% compared to the previous year, 2022. It was also observed that men tended to earn more than women, with male median weekly income standing at €770.52 and women’s at €623.22.
The sectors with the highest median weekly incomes were the information and communication, and the financial, insurance, and real estate, earning €1,356.59 and €977.34 respectively. Conversely, the accommodation and food service trade recorded the lowest earnings, amounting to €364.31. Those working in arts, entertainment, recreation and other services earned a median weekly income of €426.66.
In 2023, about 21.7% of all job roles earned under €400 each week, while 36.4% made between €400 and €800. Weekly earnings for almost 31% of jobs ranged between €800 and €1,600, and an additional 11% had wages of €1,600 or above.
Regarding continuity of employment, nearly 75% of the jobs active in 2022 persisted into 2023. For such jobs, the median weekly income rose by 6.8%.
In 2023, businesses employing 1,000 or more people reported the highest median weekly earnings – €925.40, up 4.1% from €888.53 in 2022. Men in these establishments earned an average of €1,021.83 per week, with women following at €865.09. In contrast, companies with fewer than ten employees had the lowest average earnings – €594.92, where male workers had a mean weekly pay of €702.24 against women’s €479.48.
The median weekly earnings of €793.71 in Dublin were registered, which were 13.5% more than the national average – €699.28. The earnings in Dublin were also noted to be 40% higher than those in Donegal, which had the lowest at €567.04.
The most significant wage growth was registered in Longford, where income catapulted by 5.4 per cent, from €602.02 in 2022 to €634.62 in 2023. Wexford and Donegal also observed substantial yearly hikes at 5.3 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. However, earnings in Carlow and Leitrim only saw modest increases of 3.5 per cent and 2.9 per cent.
UK nationals had the most pronounced disparity in weekly pay between men and women. In contrast, female Indian nationals defied expectations with median weekly earnings of €908.44 overtaking their male counterparts (€849.68). Still, Irish men were paid 25.8 per cent more than Irish women, with the earnings being articulated as €811.71 and €645.49 respectively.
Weekly median wages were the highest for Indian nationals at €883.74, trailed by UK nationals (€745.71) and then by the Irish (€728.03). The Indian workforce represented 2.6 per cent of total jobs, a 0.5 per cent increment from 2022, half of which were healthcare and social work (31.4 per cent) and information and communication (16.4 per cent) related occupations. Irish nationals, on the other hand, occupied 73.8 per cent of the total jobs, a drop of 1.7 percentage points from the previous year.
The highest median weekly income was recorded within the 40-49 years age bracket at €855.39 in 2023, up by 4.3 per cent from €819.75 in 2022. Men’s median annual earnings (€47,187) were 20.9 per cent more than women’s (€39,039), despite an overall increase of 3.3 per cent from €41,823 in 2022 to €43,221 in 2023.
The sectors with the paramount median annual earning were information and communication at €76,002, followed by financial, insurance and real estate at €56,582, and public administration and defence at €54,760. The sectors with the lowest pay were recorded in the accommodation and food service (€24,464) and arts, entertainment, recreation, and other services (€26,811).