As is typical in earnings distributions, a relatively small number of high earners result in a positively skewed earnings distribution of employees in Ireland. In a positively skewed earnings distribution, mean earnings are greater than median earnings as the mean is increased by those higher earners. In such cases median earnings (the middle earner in the economy or sector) may be a more reflective figure of the average earnings of employees in the economy or sector.
Figure 2.1 below shows the weekly earnings at each percentile on the earnings distribution for 2024. It also highlights the mean and median earnings for that year.
In 2024, the median weekly earnings were €730.89 (half of all employments earned more than this amount and half earned less), while mean weekly earnings stood at €942.73. Figure 2.1 below illustrates that almost two-thirds of employments earned less than the mean in 2024.
| X-axis label | Percentile | Mean | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.5094339622642 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 2 | 120.62 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 3 | 143.698421052632 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 4 | 164.131428571429 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 5 | 184.615384615385 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 6 | 201.631224489796 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 7 | 218.877291666667 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 8 | 234.846346153846 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 9 | 249.721590909091 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 10 | 259.5 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 11 | 266.007346938775 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 12 | 280.383333333333 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 13 | 295.222222222222 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 14 | 308.553478260869 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 15 | 323.076923076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 16 | 338.252352941176 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 17 | 352.666666666667 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 18 | 367.655625 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 19 | 383.232884615385 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 20 | 398.76 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 21 | 413.456666666667 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 22 | 428.076923076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 23 | 443.282115384615 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 24 | 457.158913043478 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 25 | 470.795625 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 26 | 483.453333333333 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 27 | 495.385185185185 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 28 | 506.137777777778 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 29 | 516.538461538462 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 30 | 526.780392156863 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 31 | 537.4375 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 32 | 547.799615384615 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 33 | 557.911923076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 34 | 567.249423076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 35 | 576.313469387755 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 36 | 585.033725490196 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 37 | 594.751600000001 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 38 | 603.664285714286 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 39 | 613.745714285714 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 40 | 623.6946 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 41 | 634.1 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 42 | 644.231538461538 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 43 | 654.25 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 44 | 665.089423076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 45 | 675.218333333333 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 46 | 686.061538461538 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 47 | 696.953269230769 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 48 | 708.059807692308 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 49 | 719.538461538462 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 50 | 730.89 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 51 | 743.027307692308 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 52 | 755.030576923077 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 53 | 767.724423076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 54 | 779.841923076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 55 | 792.952692307692 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 56 | 806.298529411765 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 57 | 819.698571428572 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 58 | 833.717307692308 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 59 | 848.718 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 60 | 863.18717948718 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 61 | 877.222307692307 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 62 | 891.862307692308 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 63 | 905.872115384616 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 64 | 922.926153846155 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 65 | 939.533269230769 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 66 | 956.952692307693 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 67 | 973.53 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 68 | 992.449411764706 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 69 | 1010.92612244898 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 70 | 1031.97392156863 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 71 | 1053.85196078431 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 72 | 1075.22611111111 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 73 | 1098.61269230769 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 74 | 1122.23326923077 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 75 | 1147.36692307692 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 76 | 1173.00403846154 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 77 | 1201.29032258065 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 78 | 1230.77442307692 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 79 | 1261.098125 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 80 | 1292.86019607843 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 81 | 1326.345 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 82 | 1360.22865384615 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 83 | 1395.92057692308 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 84 | 1435.91346153846 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 85 | 1475.63903846154 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 86 | 1518.88807692308 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 87 | 1564.33519230769 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 88 | 1617.19038461538 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 89 | 1674.8674 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 90 | 1739.86980769231 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 91 | 1814.32769230769 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 92 | 1900.00153846154 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 93 | 1995.31255319149 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 94 | 2120.45538461538 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 95 | 2277.15961538462 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 96 | 2490.55365384615 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 97 | 2811.72865384615 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 98 | 3341.92461538462 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
| 99 | 4492.93923076923 | 942.73 | 730.89 |
Figure 2.2 presents the distribution of employments by weekly earnings and sex. It shows a greater proportion of female employments at the lower end of the distribution compared with their male counterparts.
More than two in five employments held by females (44.7%) earned less than €600 per week, while less than one in three male employments (30.6%) had similar weekly earnings.
| X-axis label | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| < €50 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 150 | 2.2 | 4.1 |
| 300 | 7.3 | 12.8 |
| 450 | 8 | 12.4 |
| 600 | 13 | 15.3 |
| 750 | 14.9 | 13.1 |
| 900 | 12.1 | 9.9 |
| 1050 | 8.9 | 7.6 |
| 1200 | 6.5 | 5.8 |
| 1350 | 5 | 4.6 |
| 1500 | 4 | 3.7 |
| 1650 | 3.3 | 2.8 |
| 1800 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| 1950 | 2.2 | 1.3 |
| 2100 | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| 2250 | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| 2400 | 1 | 0.5 |
| 2550 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
Figure 2.3 presents the distribution of employments by weekly earnings and age group. The 15-24 years age group had the highest proportion of employments at the lower end of the distribution. The majority of employments (60.4%) among this age group earned less than €450 per week. Similarly, almost one-third (32.9%) of employments among the 60 years and over age group recorded weekly earnings of less than €450.
Earnings tended to increase with age. A greater proportion of employments were at the upper end of the distribution among those over 30 years. More than one-quarter of employments among the 30-39 (26.2%) and 40-49 (26.6%) years age groups recorded weekly earnings between €1,050 and €1,799. The 50-59 years age category recorded the largest proportion of high earners in 2024, with 8.1% earning at least €2,250 per week.
| X-axis label | 15 - 24yrs | 25 - 29yrs | 30 - 39yrs | 40 - 49yrs | 50 - 59yrs | 60yrs and over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < €50 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 150 | 11.6 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 5 | 3.2 |
| 300 | 26.6 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 7.7 | 15 | 10 |
| 450 | 21.9 | 10 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 12.6 | 10.2 |
| 600 | 20.6 | 19.6 | 12.7 | 11.2 | 11.8 | 12.9 | 14.1 |
| 750 | 10.9 | 20.2 | 15.1 | 13.4 | 12.9 | 12.2 | 14 |
| 900 | 4.7 | 14.5 | 12.3 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 11 |
| 1050 | 1.9 | 10.5 | 10 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 8.3 |
| 1200 | 0.8 | 5.9 | 8.4 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 5.2 | 6.1 |
| 1350 | 0.3 | 3.6 | 6.9 | 6 | 5.2 | 3.7 | 4.8 |
| 1500 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
| 1650 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 3 |
| 1800 | 0.1 | 1 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 |
| 1950 | 0 | 0.7 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| 2100 | 0 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| 2250 | 0 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 2400 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| 2550 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
Figure 2.4 below shows that more than one-fifth (20.1%) of all employments earned less than €400 per week in 2024, while employments earning between €400 and €800 per week accounted for 35.4% of all employments. Almost one-third (32.1%) of employments had weekly earnings between €800 and €1,600, while a further 12.3% of employments earned €1,600 or more per week.
The economic sector with the highest proportion of employments earning less than €400 per week was Accommodation & Food Services (51.2%), followed by Arts, Entertainment, Recreation & Other Services at 43.9%. In contrast, the Information & Communication sector had the highest proportion of employments earning €1,600 or more per week (43.9%).
| X-axis label | €1600 ≥ | €1200 - €1599 | €800 - €1199 | €400 - €799 | < €400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry (B-E) | 17 | 13.9 | 25.4 | 37.7 | 6 |
| Construction (F) | 6.6 | 9.7 | 30.3 | 38.8 | 14.6 |
| Wholesale & retail (G) | 6.5 | 5.1 | 13.6 | 43.2 | 31.5 |
| Transportation & storage (H) | 7.1 | 8.4 | 28.9 | 43.4 | 12.1 |
| Accommodation & food (I) | 0.7 | 0.9 | 5.1 | 42.2 | 51.2 |
| Information & communication (J) | 43.9 | 16 | 19.3 | 15.6 | 5.2 |
| Financial & real estate (K-L) | 26.7 | 14.8 | 22.8 | 27.1 | 8.6 |
| Professional & technical (M) | 20.4 | 13.2 | 23.6 | 33 | 9.8 |
| Admin & support service (N) | 7.2 | 5.4 | 18.4 | 46.6 | 22.3 |
| Public admin & defence (O) | 17.8 | 17 | 32.1 | 28.4 | 4.7 |
| Education (P) | 11.5 | 18.5 | 26.8 | 25.2 | 18 |
| Health & social (Q) | 8.3 | 13.7 | 27 | 32.4 | 18.6 |
| Arts & entertainment (R-S) | 3.8 | 3.6 | 10.7 | 38 | 43.9 |
| All sectors | 12.3 | 10.7 | 21.4 | 35.4 | 20.1 |
Table 2.2 below outlines the earnings by percentile in each of the years 2017 to 2024. The 10th earnings percentile refers to the employments with earnings in the bottom 10%, while the 90th percentile refers to employments with earnings in the top 10%.
Between 2023 and 2024 there were increases across each decile (every 10th percentile). The largest increase in weekly earnings were recorded for the 20th (€398.76) and 30th (€526.78) percentiles which both rose by 5.9% in 2024. The 70th percentile rose by 4.4%, from €988.05 in 2023 to €1,031.97 in 2024.
Table 2.3 below presents the proportion of employments for each economic sector by decile for the year 2024. The deciles are calculated based on the earnings of all employments.
Similar to previous years, the sectors with the highest proportion of employments whose earnings were in the bottom decile of weekly earnings were Accommodation & Food Services (29.4%) and Arts, Entertainment, Recreation & Other Services (24.4%). At the other end of the earnings distribution, the sectors with the highest proportion of employments whose earnings were in the top decile of weekly earnings were Information & Communication (39.2%) and Financial, Insurance & Real Estate (23.1%).
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