Work conditions in Ireland

The Active Population in Figures

	2018	2019	2020
Labour Force	2,385,518	2,429,748	2,427,093

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Employed Persons, by Occupation (% of Total Labour Force)	2015
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	14.0%
Human health and social work activities	12.8%
Manufacturing	11.3%
Education	7.7%
Accommodation and food service activities	7.0%
Construction	6.4%
Professional, scientific and technical activities	6.0%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	5.6%
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	5.1%
Transportation and storage	4.7%
Financial and insurance activities	4.5%
Information and communication	4.2%
Administrative and support service activities	3.3%
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.2%
Real estate activities	0.6%
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	0.6%
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	0.5%
Mining and quarrying	0.4%

For Further Statistics: Central Statistics Office Ireland
For Further Information About the Labour Market: Department of Jobs, Enterprises and Innovation

Legal Weekly Duration: 39 hours. For more information, please visit the Public Service Information website.
Retirement Age: 65 years
Working Contracts: Employment contracts can be verbal or written, or both. Most employment contracts are unlimited i.e. they do not have a specific end-date. Fixed-term employment contracts are generally treated the same way as unlimited contracts, except that they are subject to special rules regarding termination.
There are no special employment contracts. Most employment contracts have a probation period of twelve months. For more details, please visit the Ireland page on the International Labour Organisation's website.
Labour Laws: Consult Doing Business Website, to obtain a summary of the labour regulations that apply to local entreprises.

Minimum Wage: According to official data, the minimum wage in 2022 is EUR 10.50 per hour.
Average Wage: Average annual salary is EUR 44,954 (Central Statistics Office, Q4 2021).
Social Contributions: Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: Employers withhold up to 11.05% of employees' salaries for the pay-related social insurance (PRSI). If weekly salaries are less than EUR 410, the PRSI is reduced to 8.8%.
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: Employees contribute 4% of their gross income to pay-related social insurance (PRSI). If gross income is less than the minimum wage, the employee is exempt from the PRSI.

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners: The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is the single umbrella organisation for trade unions in Ireland and represents a wide range of interests for 832,000 workers, both in the Irish Republic and in Northern Ireland.
There are currently 64 unions affiliated with the Congress. The Northern Ireland Committee (NIC) of the ICTU is the representative body for 34 trade unions with more than 215,000 members in Northern Ireland.
Unions: Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Unionisation Rate: Currently, roughly a quarter of workers in the private sector are unionised, compared to more than two-thirds in the public sector. Among foreign-owned firms, roughly 80% of workers do not belong to a unions. However, pay and benefits are usually more attractive compared to domestic firms.
Labour Regulation Bodies: International Labour Organisation

Find out more about Operating a Business in Ireland on GlobalTrade.net, the Directory for International Trade Service Providers.

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