The Irish government is considering a move to increase the national minimum wage by over €1 an hour in the upcoming Budget 2025, the Irish Independent reported.
According to the report, the Low Pay Commission has recommended hiking the basic hourly rate of pay to at least €13.70 from the current €12.70 an hour.
An estimated 164,000 workers will benefit from the move, if it goes ahead.
While the government has never rejected the commission’s recommendation, the proposal could potentially hit struggling businesses which have been reeling under the aftermath of record levels of inflation.
The government is planning to replace the minimum wage with a new living wage by 2026, which will be set at 60 per cent of median wages across the economy.