THE AVERAGE weekly earnings of public sector workers increased by 2.5 per cent in the year to September, despite a 0.4 per cent drop in the third quarter of 2009, new Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show.
Wages across the public sector, excluding those of health staff, climbed from an average of €945.18 to €969.11 a week during the period. However, the data does not take the pension levy into account.
The numbers employed in the public sector fell by 8,200 to 360,900 in the year to September, with employment in regional bodies such as county councils falling most, from 40,400 to 37,000, and the Civil Service declining by 1,200 to 38,100.
Employment in the health sector fell by 600 to 110,200 in the same period, but the number of people working in the Garda rose by 500 to 14,700.
The weekly earnings of those working in regional bodies increased by 4.6 per cent from €815.58 to €852.71 in the year to September, while wages in the education sector rose by 3 per cent from €944.49 to €973.10.
Average weekly earnings for the Garda, inclusive of overtime, fell by 0.8 per cent from €1,196.19 to €1,186.37 a week, most likely because of reduced overtime.
Prison officers, who earned an average of €1,268.28, were found to have highest average wage, followed by those working in the Garda (€1,186.37) and third-level education (€1,122.63).
The CSO data examined the period from September 2005 to September 2009.
It highlighted that weekly earnings across the public sector (excluding health) rose by 14.2 per cent from €848.94 to €969.11 in that period.
The earnings of workers in regional bodies rose by 15.3 per cent from €739.27 to €852.71 and pay in semi-State companies jumped by 17.2 per cent from €902.95 to €1,058.46.
Garda employees saw their pay rise by 8.8 per cent, including overtime, while workers in the education sector took received 11.5 per cent more.
In the four years to the end of this September, employment in the public sector grew by 17,300 to 360,900.
The number of people working in the education sector rose by 12,500 over the same period from 84,700 to 97,200, while employment in the Garda increased by 2,400 from 12,300 to 14,700,
Employment in the health sector rose by 8,700 from to 110,200 in the four-year period under review.
From September 2005 to September 2009, employment in the semi-State sector declined from 57,400 to 52,300, a decrease of 5,100. This decrease is due in part to the privatisation of some companies.
At the same time, the number of people working in regional bodies declined by 1,200 from 38,200 to 37,000.
Public sector pay
- Change in public sector weekly pay rates in year to September 2009:
- Overall (excluding health) €969.11, up 2.5 per cent.
- Prison officers €1,268.28, up 4.8 per cent.
- Regional bodies (county councils etc) €852.71, up 4.6 per cent.
- Education €973.10, up 3 per cent.
- Semi-State companies €1,058.46, up 1 per cent.
- Administrative civil servants €911.55, up 0.7 per cent.
- Defence €815.58, down 0.5 per cent.
- An Garda Síochána €1,186.37 down 0.8 per cent.