The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions applied in response to it had a significant impact on the labour market between 2020 and 2022. Earnings statistics for those years and comparisons with earlier years are impacted by changes in the composition of the labour market during this period and when compared with 2019 and earlier years. The level of earnings has also been impacted by the COVID-19 income support schemes in place since 2020.
As of 2022, Irish nationals accounted for the largest proportion of active employments (75.5%), followed by nationals from the EU excluding Ireland (12.3%) and the United Kingdom (2.9%). Irish nationals contributed 78.4% of total earnings in 2022, while nationals from the EU excluding Ireland contributed a further 10.3%. The nationality categories included in the following analysis contributed at least 1% to the total earnings across three consecutive years, between 2020 and 2022 (See Table 6.1).
Over the five-year period between 2017 and 2022, the number of employments occupied by Irish nationals increased by 9.6%. There were also increases in the number of employments among the following nationalities: UK (13.2%), Romanian (42.8%) and Indian (253.3%). During the same period, there was a decrease in the number of employments held by Polish nationals (8.3%).
In 2022, the largest proportion of active employments occupied by Irish workers was in Wholesale & Retail Trade (15.9%), followed by Human Health & Social Work (14.7%) and Industry (10.9%). Similarly, the largest proportion of employments recorded for nationals from the EU excluding Ireland (17.2%) and the UK (15.7%) were also in the Wholesale & Retail Trade sector, while the largest proportion of Indian nationals were employed in the Human Health & Social Work sector (30.3%) (See Table 6.2).
Irish workers accounted for the majority of active employments in each of the economic sectors, ranging from 59.2% in Administrative & Support Services to 95.3% in Public Administration & Defence. Nationals from the EU excluding Ireland represented the second largest proportion of active employments across 11 of the 13 economic sectors, with the exception of Public Administration & Defence and Human Health & Social Work, where nationals from the UK and Other categories accounted for 1.9% and 7.1%, respectively, of the total employments (See Table 6.3).
Please note: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the official source of estimates of employment.
Median weekly earnings were highest among Indian nationals in 2022, at €873.38, followed by UK nationals at €710.32. Males from India had the highest median weekly earnings at €852.98, followed by UK males at €820.24, a difference of 4.0%.
In 2022, male median weekly earnings of €741.86 were 25.1% higher than for females at €592.92. With the exception of Indian nationals, median earnings for males were higher than for females across all nationality groupings. Among Indian nationals, female median weekly earnings (€886.93) were 4.0% higher than male median earnings (€852.98) (See Figure 6.1 and Tables 6.5).
| X-axis label | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 774.3 | 611.6 | 692.88 |
| EU27 excl. Irl | 672.71 | 534.34 | 607.69 |
| United Kingdom | 820.24 | 582.34 | 710.32 |
| Poland | 662.99 | 506.48 | 593.88 |
| India | 852.98 | 886.93 | 873.38 |
| Romania | 669.73 | 498.08 | 588.36 |
| Other | 600 | 505.77 | 561.22 |
| Total | 741.86 | 592.92 | 670.9 |
Indian nationals earned the highest median weekly earnings in five of the 13 economic sectors in 2022, of which Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities was the highest at €956.11, where earnings ranged from €711.04 among Polish nationals to €956.11 among Indian nationals. Irish nationals had the highest median earnings in three of the 13 economic sectors, of which Public Administration & Defence recorded the highest earnings at €933.32. The lowest median weekly earnings were recorded in the Accommodation & Food Services sector at €348.84, where earnings ranged from €289.03 among Irish nationals to €470.36 among Romanian nationals.
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