This chapter presents data on earnings and labour costs of employees compiled from the Earnings, Hours and Employment Costs Survey (EHECS) and the Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS) release. The EHECS survey has been conducted since Quarter 1 2008 providing short-term trends of earnings and labour costs in the economy. These trends are published in the Earnings and Labour Costs Quarterly release while annual totals and averages are published in the Earnings and Labour Costs Annual release.
In this chapter, average earnings and hours are broken down by NACE economic sector for Q4 2015 and Q4 2016 in table 19.1. Average annual earnings are presented in table 19.2 for full-time, part-time and all employees for the period 2011 to 2016. Average annual earnings and its components are broken down by NACE economic sector for 2015 and 2016 in table 19.3. The total cost of employing labour from 2011 to 2016 is illustrated in table 19.4.
The results presented in tables 19.5, 19.6 and 19.7 are taken from the Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS) 2011-2014 release. The statistics presented are median weekly earnings by age, nationality, region and gender.
It should be noted that EHECS and EAADS have been prepared from different data sources and using different methodologies and as such are not directly comparable.
| Average Weekly Earnings Q4 2015 | Average Weekly Earnings Q4 2016 | |
| Industry | 859.01 | 867.93 |
| Construction | 749.57 | 751.49 |
| Wholesale & Retail | 551.81 | 572.06 |
| Transportation | 755.46 | 772.61 |
| Accommodation & Food | 324.37 | 335.22 |
| Information & Comm. | 1070.55 | 1048.15 |
| Financial Activities | 1022.29 | 1017.38 |
| Professional Activities | 829.03 | 885.17 |
| Administrative Activities | 527.29 | 531.58 |
| Public Admin. & Defence | 928.81 | 921.77 |
| Education | 822.45 | 812.63 |
| Health & Social | 695.96 | 685.15 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 470.55 | 475.91 |
| All sectors | 712.02 | 716.86 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
Average weekly earnings increase 0.7% to €716.86 in Q4 2016
Average weekly earnings of the main economic sectors in Q4 2016 ranged from a high of €1,048.15 in the Information and communication sector to a low of €335.22 in the Accommodation and food service activities sector. The Professional, scientific and technical activities sector experienced the largest annual increase to Q4 2016 rising 6.8% from €829.03 to €885.17. The Information and communication sector saw the largest fall (-2.1%) in the year Q4 2015 to Q4 2016, decreasing from €1,070.55 to €1,048.15.
Average weekly paid hours decreased by 0.3% from 32.5 to 32.4 between Q4 2015 and Q4 2016. Average weekly paid hours varied from a low of 24.1 hours in the Education sector and 26.6 hours in the Accommodation and food service activities sector to a high of 38.6 in the Industry sector. The Transportation and storage sector saw the highest annual decrease to Q4 2016 with average weekly paid hours falling 3.0% from 36.9 to 35.8 The Professional, scientific and technical activities sector experienced the largest rise in average weekly paid hours between Q4 2015 and Q4 2016 (2.4%) going from 33.6 to 34.4.
Average hourly earnings in Q4 2016 were €22.15, an increase of 1.0% from Q4 2015. Average hourly earnings of the main economic sectors in Q4 2016 ranged from a high of €33.76 in the Education sector to a low of €12.60 in the Accommodation and food service activities sector. The Transportation and storage sector experienced the largest annual increase to Q4 2016 rising 5.1% from €20.50 to €21.55. The Public administration and defence sector saw the largest fall (-1.7%) in the year Q4 2015 to Q4 2016, decreasing from €25.63 to €25.20. See graph above and table 19.1.
| X-axis label | All Employees | Full Time Employees | Part Time Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 35915 | 44062 | 15772 |
| 2012 | 36145 | 44523 | 15886 |
| 2013 | 35976 | 44699 | 15856 |
| 2014 | 36090 | 44836 | 16019 |
| 2015 | 36519 | 45075 | 16332 |
| 2016 | 36919 | 45611 | 16597 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
Average annual earnings increase 1.1% to €36,919 in 2016
Average annual earnings for all employees, including regular, overtime and irregular earnings, were €36,919 in 2016, an increase of 1.1% from 2015. Average annual earnings were €45,611 for full-time employees in 2016 while part-time employees earned €16,597 on average in the year.
Average annual earnings increased in 2012 before falling in 2013. It then increased each year, accumulating a 2.8% increase, over the 5 year period.
Average annual earnings of full-time employees increased by 3.5% over the 5 years from 2011-2016.
Average annual earnings of part-time employees increased from €15,772 in 2011 to €15,886 in 2012, before falling in 2013. Part-time earnings increased each year since then to €16,597 showing an overall increase of 5.2% over the 5 year period. See graph above (click on each employment type) and table 19.2.
| Irregular Earnings 2015 | Overtime Earnings 2015 | Regular Earnings 2015 | Irregular Earnings 2016 | Overtime Earnings 2016 | Regular Earnings 2016 | |
| Information & Comm | 6039 | 493 | 49445 | 6216 | 426 | 49319 |
| Financial activities | 4266 | 595 | 48153 | 4712 | 608 | 48997 |
| Public Admin. & Defence | 2169 | 1366 | 44638 | 2063 | 1724 | 43543 |
| Industry | 2681 | 2282 | 39205 | 2943 | 2403 | 39475 |
| Professional activities | 2243 | 350 | 39381 | 2578 | 358 | 41730 |
| Education | 479 | 197 | 41285 | 464 | 202 | 41018 |
| Transportation | 1897 | 1513 | 35539 | 2098 | 1627 | 35727 |
| Construction | 870 | 1330 | 34903 | 682 | 1573 | 36071 |
| All sectors | 1845 | 931 | 33743 | 1953 | 990 | 33977 |
| Health & Social | 1466 | 1202 | 32588 | 1536 | 1229 | 32748 |
| Wholesale & Retail | 1581 | 578 | 25870 | 1692 | 617 | 26445 |
| Admin. activities | 1407 | 566 | 24972 | 1688 | 545 | 24887 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 886 | 386 | 23149 | 1028 | 321 | 23050 |
| Accommodation & Food | 383 | 257 | 16031 | 389 | 245 | 16580 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
Average annual total earnings rise in 9 of the 13 sectors
Average annual total earnings comprised of 92.0% regular earnings, 2.7% overtime earnings and 5.3% irregular earnings. The graph above illustrates these components of average annual total earnings by economic sectors in 2015 and 2016.
Average annual total earnings vary widely across the economy with the highest averages in Information and communication at €55,961 and Financial, insurance and real estate at €54,317. The Information and communication sector had the highest average regular earnings of €49,319 and highest average irregular earnings of €6,216, making it the highest paid sector in 2016. The Industry sector recorded the highest average annual overtime earnings of €2,403 in 2016. The Accommodation and food services sector had average annual total earnings of €17,214, the lowest of the sectors. This comprised of €16,580 regular earnings, €245 overtime earnings and €389 irregular earnings. See graph above and table 19.3.
Average annual total earnings rose in 9 of the 13 economic sectors in 2016. The largest percentage increase was 6.4% in the Professional, scientific and technical activities sector where average annual earnings rose from €41,973 to €44,667. Average annual earnings in both the Construction and the Accommodation and food services sectors rose by 3.3%, rising from €37,103 to €38,326 and €16,671 to €17,214 respectively. The largest decrease was in the Public administration and defence sector where average annual earnings fell by 1.7% from €48,173 to €47,330 between 2015 and 2016.
| Proportions of Total Annual Labour Costs 2015 | |
| Full time Earnings | 68.3 |
| Part Time Earnings | 10.6 |
| Apprentice Earnings | 0.6 |
| Overtime Earnings | 2.3 |
| Irregular Earnings | 4.6 |
| Other Labour Costs | 13.7 |
| Proportion of Total Annual Labour Costs 2015 (%) | |
| €46,792 millionFull-time Regular Earnings | 68.8 |
| €7,154 millionPart-time Regular Earnings | 10.5 |
| €418 millionApprentice Earnings | 0.6 |
| €1,500 millionOvertime Earnings | 2.2 |
| €2,972 millionIrregular Earnings | 4.4 |
| €9,185 millionOther Labour Costs | 13.5 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
Total annual labour costs €70.8 billion in 2016
Total annual labour costs in 2016 were €70.8 billion. Full-time employee regular earnings comprised €48.4 billion (or 68.3% of total labour costs) while part-time employee regular earnings were €7.5 billion (10.6% of the total). The other main components were €9.7 billion (13.7%) other labour costs, €3.2 billion (4.6%) irregular earnings, €1.6 billion (2.3%) overtime earnings and €0.4 billion (0.6%) apprentice/trainee earnings. See graph above and table 19.4.
| Male | Female | Total | |
| 15-24 | 305.39 | 251.78 | 278.59 |
| 25-29 | 486.59 | 447.47 | 468.62 |
| 30-39 | 631.92 | 578.83 | 607.06 |
| 40-49 | 760 | 560.58 | 659.5 |
| 50-59 | 774.5 | 524.29 | 641.77 |
| 60 and over | 595.6 | 361.26 | 469.37 |
| Total | 584.6 | 468.88 | 528.81 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
Age Groups
Median weekly earnings for all age groups was €528.81 in 2014 an increase of 1.1% from the previous year. The 60 and over age group had the highest earnings growth in 2014, increasing 3.8%, while the 30-39 age group had the lowest earnings growth of 0.1%. The age group with the highest earnings in 2014 was the 40-49 group, whose median earnings were €659.50. The 30-39 group was the highest earning female age category while the 50-59 group was the highest earning male age category. The age cohort with the highest earnings growth in 2014 was the 15-24 group for males and the 60 and over group for females. The largest fall in male median earnings was in the 50-59 group, which fell by 0.6% in 2014, while the largest decrease in female median earnings was in the 30-39 group, which fell 0.2%. See graph above and table 19.5.
| Male | Female | Total | |
| Irish | 625.33 | 496.54 | 561 |
| United Kingdom | 678.85 | 485.83 | 588.42 |
| EU27/28 excl. Irl & UK | 461.67 | 367.31 | 420.1 |
| Other | 463.54 | 420.32 | 451.56 |
| Total | 584.6 | 468.88 | 528.81 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
Nationality
Median weekly earnings for all nationalities was €528.81 in 2014. Median weekly earnings of Irish national employees was €561.00 in 2014, which compared to €588.42 for UK nationals, €420.10 for EU27/28 excl. Irl & UK and €451.56 for Other nationalities. EU27/28 excl. Irl & UK employees saw the highest earnings growth in 2014, increasing 2.7%, while Irish and UK employees earnings grew by 0.8%. See graph above and table 19.6.
| Male | Female | Total | |
| Dublin | 618.93 | 508.05 | 564.38 |
| Rest of Leinster | 584 | 460.48 | 525.52 |
| Munster | 584.13 | 446.58 | 516 |
| Connacht | 554.73 | 470.04 | 512.81 |
| Ulster (Part of) | 483.1 | 403.8 | 449.13 |
| Total | 584.6 | 468.88 | 528.81 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
Region
The Dublin region had median earnings of €564.38 in 2014, the highest earnings of the five regions. It was follwed by the Rest of Leinster region, with median earnings of €525.52. The part of Ulster which is within the Republic of Ireland had the lowest earnings of €449.13 in 2014. The Connacht region had the highest growth in median earnings in 2014, increasing 2.0%, while the Dublin region had the lowest earnings growth of 0.6% in the year. See graph above and table 19.7.
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