Work conditions in Ireland

The Active Population in Figures

Working Conditions

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.

Cost of Labour

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 Partners

Employer Associations

IBEC - Irish Business and Employers Confederation
ISME - Irish SME Association
Enterprise Ireland - Organisation for the Development and Growth of Irish Enterprises

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.

Labour 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