Average weekly earnings in Ireland increased by 5.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, reaching €979.71, up from €927.98 in the same period of 2023, according to preliminary estimates from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO also reported a 6.2 per cent rise in average hourly earnings, which climbed to €30.21 from €28.44.
Over the five years from 2019 to 2024, average hourly earnings saw a 24.7 per cent increase, rising from €24.23 to €30.21.
Meanwhile, average weekly paid hours dropped slightly to 32.4 in the October-December period, a 0.6 per cent decline from 32.6 hours in the same period in 2023.
Average weekly earnings rose across all 13 sectors, with the Information & Communication sector recording the largest annual increase at 6.6 per cent, followed closely by the Education sector, which saw a 6.5 per cent rise.