Average weekly wages for clerical and operative staff in the construction industry were €668.21 in September, an increase of 12.3 per cent on the year.
The hourly rate paid to all grades increased by 11.1 per cent from €13.28 to €14.76 - and the number of hours worked per week rose by 1.1 per cent from 44.8 hours to 45.3 hours, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO noted weekly earnings for unskilled adult staff increased by 9.4 per cent from €592.48 to €647.94 between September 2001 and the same month in 2002.
Wages for unskilled staff rose to €13.67 from €12.62 while the number of hours worked each week increased by 40 minutes to 47.4.
Weekly earnings for skilled operatives were up by 16.9 per cent to €799.44 during the same period.