Economy

Have your say: Average wages in Ireland are rising, but do you feel better off?

CSO data shows workers earning more money but much of this gain wiped out by inflation

Wage increases: A surge in inflation (5.3 per cent on average in 2023) which more than wipes out the benefits of a 2 per cent average wage increase. Photograph: iStock

Tue Feb 27 2024 - 17:37

According to the Central Statistics Office workers across the Republic were making an average of 2 per cent more at the end of 2023 compared to 12 months earlier.

Ah, but “lies, damned lies, and statistics”, as this CSO data on earnings tells only part of the economic story faced by most workers over the last 12 months.

The full story includes a surge in inflation (5.3 per cent on average in 2023) which more than wipes out the benefits of a 2 per cent average wage increase.

What the CSO earns data does show are the relative changes between certain professions.

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The largest annual percentage increase in average weekly earnings was in the arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities sector, rising 9.8 per cent from €590.81 to €649.

The second largest increase was 8.3 per cent in the administrative and support services sector, to an average weekly wage of €754.55.

Across the public sector, average weekly earnings decreased by 1.6 per cent to €1,112.29.

Gardaí had the highest average weekly earnings in the public sector in the last quarter of 2023 at €1,471.40, although this figure includes overtime. It is worth noting that the CSO figures include all earnings, including bonuses and overtime.

In this context, we would like to hear about your experience of wage growth relative to inflation and how your household finances are faring. Have there been wage increases in your sector and do you feel better off as a result or have any gains been wiped away by inflation?

You can share your experience using the form below. Please limit your submissions to 400 words or less. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your submission – we will keep your name and contact details confidential but for verification purposes please include a mobile number.

We will curate a selection of submissions for an article but please note we may not publish every submission.

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