Back to Top
75 years of the CSO
Statistics Database
cso.ie as Gaeilge

 Skip navigation

Show Menu  
PDF - Summary (KB)
PDF - Full (KB)

Statistics in this publication are based on population estimates which have not been updated following Census 2022. See LFS Background Notes.

Extra information
Methodology Previous Releases
International comparison:
For more information on this release:
E-mail: labour@cso.ie Jim Dalton +353 21 453 5623 Martina O'Callaghan +353 21 453 5491
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN
CSO statistical release, , 11am

QNHS - National Minimum Wage Estimates

Quarter 2 - Quarter 4 2016

IndicatorQ2 2016Q3 2016Q4 2016Average Q2 to Q4 2016
Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less ('000)173.2157.6134.5155.1
Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage ('000)1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
Not stated ('000)154.8164.8156.1158.6
Total ('000)1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less (%)111.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated

Average of 10.1% of employees for whom earnings data was reported, earned National Minimum Wage or less between Q2 and Q4 2016

Figure 1 Share of employees by NMW status (excluding not stated) - average Q2 to Q4 16
go to full release

Over the three quarters between Q2 and Q4 2016, an average of 10.1% of employees for whom earnings data was reported, earned the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or less. The proportion who reported earning more than the NMW was 89.9%.

In absolute terms, the average number of employees who self-reported earning less than the NMW was 22,500 while 132,600 self-reported earnings equal to the NMW. In total therefore, an average of 155,100 employees self-reported that they earned the NMW or less in the period. See Table 1a.

Of the average 22,500 employees who reported earning less than the NMW, 5,700 reported that the reason they earned less than the NMW was related to being a special training rate, while 5,800 reported that it was an age-related rate. See Table 2a.

This release presents results based on questions relating to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in Quarters 2, 3 and 4 2016. The QNHS is not designed to be an earnings survey; rather it is the official Labour Force Survey (LFS) in Ireland and is conducted across a representative sample of households throughout the country. Therefore the earnings data in this release is based on each respondent self-reporting their income and as a result some caution is urged in the interpretation of this data. In addition, as the data presented in the release is collected directly from individual respondents, caution is urged in comparing these results to data collected directly from business enterprises.

In addition, as a number of respondents did not report their status with regard to the NMW, these respondents are identified as ‘Not stated’ in the relevant data tables and are excluded from the denominator in calculating the share or proportion of all respondents on the NMW. 

The questions upon which these results are based were added to the QNHS in Q2 2016. Therefore data is currently available for Quarters 2 to 4 2016 only and as a result it is neither possible to calculate annual changes nor identify seasonal patterns. The results presented throughout this release are therefore based on the average results over the three quarters.

 

Females more likely than males to earn NMW or less

The average results for the period show that females are more likely to earn the NMW or less. Of the 155,100 employees who reported earning the NMW or less, 84,400 or 54.4% were female while 70,700 or 45.6% were male. This compares to the overall split of all employees in the State being 49.4% male and 50.6% female. In total, 9.3% of all male employees in the State earned the NMW or less and the corresponding figure for females was 10.9%. See Table 3a and 3b.

NMW or less predominant in Services Sector

Overall, the Services sector accounted for more than four out of five (81.7%) of all the employees who reported earning the NMW or less. Specifically, the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector accounted for 25.9% of all employees who reported earning the NMW or less while the Accommodation and food services sector accounted for 24.7%. By comparison, the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector accounted for 14.3% of all employees in the State while the Accommodation and food services sector accounted for 7.6%. See Table 4b and figure 2.

notepa
NACE Rev.2 Economic SectorShare of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or lessShare of total employees
A Agriculture, forestry and fishing3.21.3
B-E Industry10.314.4
F Construction4.65.1
G Wholesale and retail trade; repair of
motor vehicles and motorcycles		25.914.3
I Accommodation and food service activities24.77.6
N Administrative and support service activities5.33.3
Q Human health and social work activities7.614.3
R-U Other NACE activities 8.64.4

Elementary and Sales and customer service occupations more likely to earn NMW or less

The greater incidence of employees earning the NMW or less was in the Elementary and Sales and customer service occupation groups. Over one third of employees (34.8%) earning the NMW or less were in Elementary occupations while the corresponding share for those in Sales and customer service group was 22.7%. Overall, these groups combined account for 20.9% of all employees in the State. In total, 29.9% of all employees in the Elementary occupation group reported earning the NMW or less while 25.0% of all employees in the Sales and customer service occupation group reported earning the NMW or less. See Table 5b.

Nearly two fifths of those earning NMW or less were in the 15-24 age group

Almost two in five (37.9%) of those earning the NMW or less were in the 15-24 (youths) age group while in total this age cohort represented less than one in ten (9.2%) of all employees in the State. Persons aged 25-34 accounted for 26.6% of all employees on the NMW or less while accounting for 26.0% of all employees in the State. Persons aged 35-44 accounted for 16.3% of all employees on the NMW or less while accounting for 29.4% of all employees in the State. Finally, those persons aged 45-54 accounted for 11.7% of all employees who reported earning the NMW or less while they accounted for 21.5% of all employees in the State. See Table 6b.

In terms of the proportions within age cohorts who reported earning the NMW or less, just over two fifths (41.5%) of all employees in the 15-24 (youths) age group earned the NMW or less. This compares with 10.3% for all employees aged 25-34, 5.6% for those aged 35-44 and 5.5% for those aged 45-54. See Table 6b and figure 3.

Table 3b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by gender and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Gender/National Minimum Wage earnings statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by gender
Male    46.245.644.845.6
Female    53.854.455.254.4
Total   100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by gender1
Male    49.149.449.549.4
Female    50.950.650.550.6
Total   100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each gender category1
Male    10.89.57.89.3
Female    12.111.19.410.9
Total   11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 3b (XLS 13KB)
upArrowHide Table
notepa
Age groupShare of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or lessShare of total employees
15-1915.42.2
20-2422.57
Total 15-24 (Youths)37.99.2
25-3426.626
35-4416.329.4
45-5411.721.5
55-593.77.9

Almost three in five employees earning the NMW or less were part-time

Almost three in five persons (58.7%) earning the NMW or less were employed on a part-time basis while in total, part-time employees accounted for just over one fifth (22.8%) of all employees in the State. Full-time employees accounted for 41.3% of all employees on the NMW or less while accounting for 77.2% of all employees in the State. See Table 9b and figure 4.

Just over a quarter (26.7%) of all employees who worked part-time reported that they earned the NMW or less while just over one in twenty (5.4%) of all employees who worked full-time reported that the earned the NMW or less. See Table 9b and figure 4.

notepa
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or lessShare of total employees
Full-time41.377.2
Part-time58.722.8

Non-Irish nationals more likely than Irish nationals to earn the NMW or less

The proportion of Irish employees who reported earning the NMW or less was 8.7% compared to 17.3% of all non-Irish employees. See Table 13b.

In total, non-Irish nationals accounted for 28.2% of all employees on the NMW or less while they accounted for 16.4% of all employees in the State. Irish nationals accounted for 71.8% of all employees on the NMW or less while they accounted for 83.6% of all employees. See Table 13b.

Employees with lower level of education more likely to earn NMW or less

In total, 19.4% of all employees whose highest level of education was primary or below reported that they earned the NMW or less. The equivalent proportion of employees whose highest level of education was lower secondary was 18.8% and for those whose highest level of education was higher secondary 16.7% reported earning the NMW or less. For those employees whose highest level of education was third level honours degree or above, an average of 3.4% of employees reported earning the NMW or less. See Table 14b and figure 5.

notepa
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or lessShare of total employees
Primary or below5.609284332688592.91588866212167
Lower secondary16.22609069417588.71292717877459
Higher secondary40.296582849774324.4213817360719
Post secondary non-tertiary12.851923490221412.5363671891962
Third level non-honours degree11.390500752202918.7437578705111
Third level honours degree or above10.036535568450530.2010508489296

Implications of Census 2016 Final Results

The QNHS results are weighted using population estimates which are generated on a quarterly basis. Historically every 5 years the Census of Population results have been used to revise these population estimates, and QNHS results are revised as a consequence. These revisions will be made once detailed results from the Census are available. See Background Notes for more details.

Table 1a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by detailed National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Detailed National Minimum Wage earnings status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees by detailed National Minimum Wage earnings status
Employees reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage27.623.216.622.5
Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage  145.6134.4117.9132.6
Total employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less  173.2157.6134.5155.1
Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage  1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
Not stated   154.8164.8156.1158.6
Total employees   1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 1a (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 1b Share of employees aged 15 years and over classified by detailed National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Detailed National Minimum Wage earnings status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees by detailed National Minimum Wage earnings status1
Employees reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage  1.81.51.11.5
Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage  9.68.87.68.6
Total employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less11.410.38.610.1
Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage  88.689.791.489.9
Total employees   100.0100.0100.0100.0
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 1b (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 2a Employees aged 15 years and over reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage by reason why
         '000
Employees reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage by reason whyQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage by reason why
A special training rate   6.06.0[5.2]5.7
An age-related rate   6.17.4[4.0]5.8
A first job over 18 rate   [3.4]***
Other reason   11.17.2[4.8]7.7
Not stated   ****
Total   27.623.216.622.5
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 2a (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 2b Share of employees aged 15 years and over reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage by reason why
         %
Employees reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage by reason whyQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage by reason why
A special training rate   21.725.9[31.3]25.5
An age-related rate   22.131.9[24.1]26.0
A first job over 18 rate   [12.3]***
Other reason   40.231.0[28.9]34.3
Not stated   ****
Total   100.0100.0100.0100.0
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 2b (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 3a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by gender and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Gender/National Minimum Wage earnings statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by gender and National Minimum Wage status
Male Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less80.071.960.370.7
  Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage663.0686.3711.5686.9
   Not stated79.287.480.482.3
   Total822.2845.6852.2840.0
Female Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less93.285.774.284.4
  Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage678.0689.6711.9693.2
   Not stated75.677.475.776.2
   Total846.8852.7861.8853.8
All employees Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
  Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 3a (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 4a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Economic sector (NACE Rev.2)/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector and National Minimum Wage status
AAgriculture, forestry and fishingEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less6.5[5.0][3.5][5.0]
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage14.816.715.715.7
   Not stated[3.8][3.7][4.0][3.8]
   Total25.025.423.124.5
B-FTotal IndustryEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less25.323.720.623.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage266.9278.8283.0276.2
   Not stated29.431.725.528.9
   Total321.6334.2329.1328.3
B-EIndustryEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less16.716.614.816.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage198.6207.3207.5204.5
   Not stated16.120.314.517.0
   Total231.3244.3236.8237.5
FConstructionEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less8.67.15.87.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage68.371.575.571.8
   Not stated13.311.411.111.9
   Total90.389.992.390.8
G-UTotal ServicesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less141.5128.5110.2126.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,057.41,078.71,122.01,086.0
   Not stated117.0126.4122.7122.0
   Total1,315.91,333.61,354.91,334.8
GWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcyclesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less44.140.136.440.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage171.4179.0186.8179.1
   Not stated24.628.828.627.3
   Total240.1247.9251.8246.6
HTransportation and storage Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[5.4][3.7]*[4.0]
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage59.661.766.162.5
   Not stated[4.9]6.97.56.4
   Total69.972.476.673.0
IAccommodation and food service activitiesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less41.240.233.438.3
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage73.779.181.878.2
   Not stated15.019.118.217.4
   Total129.8138.4133.4133.9
JInformation and communicationEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage67.269.470.369.0
   Not stated[5.3][3.9][5.0][4.7]
   Total74.374.977.375.5
K-LFinancial, insurance and real estate activitiesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage87.089.189.288.4
   Not stated5.9[4.0][4.2][4.7]
   Total94.194.194.594.2
MProfessional, scientific and technical activitiesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less*[4.3]**
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage77.083.684.881.8
   Not stated6.35.96.56.2
   Total85.793.793.891.1
NAdministrative and support service activitiesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less9.96.77.98.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage43.640.542.142.1
   Not stated6.88.97.57.7
   Total60.356.157.658.0
OPublic administration and defence; compulsory social securityEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage94.991.494.193.5
   Not stated6.75.5[4.3]5.5
   Total103.798.199.4100.4
PEducationEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[3.5][3.8][3.3][3.5]
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage129.4127.8135.8131.0
   Not stated10.410.010.010.1
   Total143.4141.6149.2144.7
QHuman health and social work activitiesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less14.111.59.911.8
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage203.9205.8211.4207.0
   Not stated19.922.922.321.7
   Total237.9240.2243.5240.5
R-UOther NACE activities Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less15.814.49.713.3
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage49.651.359.553.5
   Not stated11.110.48.510.0
   Total76.676.277.776.8
Not statedEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage****
   Not stated[4.7]***
   Total6.6[5.1]7.0[6.2]
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 4a (XLS 20KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 4b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Economic sector (NACE Rev.2)/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector
AAgriculture, forestry and fishing  3.8[3.2][2.6][3.2]
B-FTotal Industry  14.615.015.315.0
B-EIndustry  9.610.511.010.3
FConstruction  5.04.54.34.6
G-UTotal Services  81.781.581.981.7
GWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles  25.525.427.125.9
HTransportation and storage   [3.1][2.3]*[2.6]
IAccommodation and food service activities  23.825.524.824.7
JInformation and communication  ****
K-LFinancial, insurance and real estate activities  ****
MProfessional, scientific and technical activities  *[2.7]**
NAdministrative and support service activities  5.74.35.95.3
OPublic administration and defence; compulsory social security  ****
PEducation  [2.0][2.4][2.5][2.3]
QHuman health and social work activities  8.17.37.47.6
R-UOther NACE activities   9.19.17.28.6
Not stated  ****
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector1
AAgriculture, forestry and fishing  1.41.41.21.3
B-FTotal Industry  19.319.719.519.5
B-EIndustry  14.214.614.314.4
FConstruction  5.15.15.25.1
G-UTotal Services  79.278.779.179.0
GWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles  14.214.314.314.3
HTransportation and storage   4.34.34.44.3
IAccommodation and food service activities  7.67.87.47.6
JInformation and communication  4.64.64.64.6
K-LFinancial, insurance and real estate activities  5.85.95.85.8
MProfessional, scientific and technical activities  5.25.75.65.5
NAdministrative and support service activities  3.53.13.23.3
OPublic administration and defence; compulsory social security  6.46.06.16.2
PEducation  8.88.68.98.8
QHuman health and social work activities  14.414.214.214.3
R-UOther NACE activities   4.34.34.44.4
Not stated  ****
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector1
AAgriculture, forestry and fishing  30.7[23][18.3][24.2]
B-FTotal Industry  8.77.86.87.7
B-EIndustry  7.87.46.77.3
FConstruction  11.29.07.19.1
G-UTotal Services  11.810.68.910.4
GWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles  20.518.316.318.3
HTransportation and storage   [8.3][5.6]*[6.1]
IAccommodation and food service activities  35.933.729.032.9
JInformation and communication  ****
K-LFinancial, insurance and real estate activities  ****
MProfessional, scientific and technical activities  *[4.9]**
NAdministrative and support service activities  18.514.215.816.2
OPublic administration and defence; compulsory social security  ****
PEducation  [2.6][2.9][2.4][2.6]
QHuman health and social work activities  6.55.34.55.4
R-UOther NACE activities   24.121.914.019.9
Not stated  ****
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 4b (XLS 21KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 5a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by occupation (SOC2010) and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Broad occupational group/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by occupation (SOC2010) and National Minimum Wage status
1.Managers, directors and senior officialsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage97.198.7103.699.8
   Not stated[5.4]6.06.05.8
   Total104.6106.4111.3107.4
2.ProfessionalsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less*[3.9]**
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage307.9308.3310.8309.0
   Not stated16.012.113.013.7
   Total326.6324.3326.1325.7
3.Associate professional and technicalEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less7.05.8[5.2]6.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage181.1183.8190.7185.2
   Not stated11.014.113.212.8
   Total199.0203.7209.1203.9
4.Administrative and secretarialEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less9.47.56.07.6
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage175.5184.4184.1181.3
   Not stated17.014.814.715.5
   Total201.9206.7204.8204.5
5.Skilled tradesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less18.316.013.916.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage137.6138.2149.4141.7
   Not stated20.922.818.520.7
   Total176.8177.0181.9178.6
6.Caring, leisure and other servicesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less23.621.615.720.3
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage106.6113.8122.4114.3
   Not stated19.920.222.720.9
   Total150.0155.5160.8155.4
7.Sales and customer serviceEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less38.534.732.335.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage99.9107.3109.3105.5
   Not stated17.620.718.518.9
   Total156.0162.7160.1159.6
8.Process, plant and machine operativesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less12.79.88.710.4
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage100.0107.9110.8106.2
   Not stated12.414.012.713.0
   Total125.2131.7132.3129.7
9.ElementaryEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less57.955.948.354.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage125.8123.3131.3126.8
   Not stated27.234.131.731.0
   Total210.9213.3211.3211.8
 Other/Not statedEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage9.610.311.010.3
   Not stated7.4[5.8][5.1][6.1]
   Total18.116.916.517.2
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 5a (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 5b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by occupation (SOC2010) and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Broad occupational group/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by occupation (SOC2010)
1.Managers, directors and senior officials  ****
2.Professionals  *[2.5]**
3.Associate professional and technical  4.03.7[3.9]3.9
4.Administrative and secretarial  5.44.84.54.9
5.Skilled trades  10.610.210.310.4
6.Caring, leisure and other services  13.613.711.713.1
7.Sales and customer service  22.222.024.022.7
8.Process, plant and machine operatives  7.36.26.56.7
9.Elementary  33.435.535.934.8
 Other/Not stated  ****
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by occupation (SOC2010)1
1.Managers, directors and senior officials  6.66.56.86.6
2.Professionals  20.520.420.120.3
3.Associate professional and technical  12.412.412.612.5
4.Administrative and secretarial  12.212.512.212.3
5.Skilled trades  10.310.110.510.3
6.Caring, leisure and other services  8.68.88.98.8
7.Sales and customer service  9.19.39.19.2
8.Process, plant and machine operatives  7.47.77.77.6
9.Elementary  12.111.711.511.8
 Other/Not stated  0.70.70.70.7
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each occupation (SOC2010)1
1.Managers, directors and senior officials  ****
2.Professionals  *[1.2]**
3.Associate professional and technical  3.73.1[2.7]3.1
4.Administrative and secretarial  5.13.93.24.0
5.Skilled trades  11.710.48.510.2
6.Caring, leisure and other services  18.116.011.415.1
7.Sales and customer service  27.824.422.825.0
8.Process, plant and machine operatives  11.38.37.38.9
9.Elementary  31.531.226.929.9
 Other/Not stated  ****
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 5b (XLS 19KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 6a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by age group and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Age group/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by age group and National Minimum Wage status
15-19Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less24.525.321.823.9
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage7.912.010.510.1
   Not stated6.15.65.95.9
   Total38.542.938.239.9
20-24Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less37.438.628.734.9
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage66.773.478.272.8
   Not stated17.720.718.619.0
   Total121.8132.7125.5126.7
15-24 (Youths)Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less61.963.950.558.8
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage74.685.488.682.9
   Not stated23.826.324.524.9
   Total160.3175.6163.7166.5
25-34Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less48.341.034.441.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage347.7360.5365.9358.0
   Not stated46.545.946.146.2
   Total442.4447.4446.4445.4
35-44Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less28.624.722.425.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage420.8421.9436.1426.3
   Not stated32.338.835.435.5
   Total481.7485.5493.9487.0
45-54Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less20.917.016.518.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage302.9311.6323.1312.5
   Not stated31.030.930.430.8
   Total354.8359.5370.0361.4
55-59Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less7.1[4.9][5.0]5.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage113.4112.9120.0115.4
   Not stated12.012.08.710.9
   Total132.5129.8133.8132.0
60-64Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[3.6][4.1][3.7][3.8]
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage63.466.269.766.4
   Not stated7.37.67.97.6
   Total74.277.981.377.8
65+Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[2.8]***
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage18.217.419.918.5
   Not stated*[3.3][3.1][2.8]
   Total23.022.725.123.6
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 6a (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 6b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by age group and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Age group/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by age group
15-19    14.116.116.215.4
20-24    21.624.521.322.5
Total 15-24 (Youths)   35.740.537.537.9
25-34    27.926.025.626.6
35-44    16.515.716.716.3
45-54    12.110.812.311.7
55-59    4.1[3.1][3.7]3.7
60-64    [2.1][2.6][2.8][2.5]
65+    [1.6]***
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by age group1
15-19    2.12.42.12.2
20-24    6.97.36.97.0
Total 15-24 (Youths)   9.09.78.99.2
25-34    26.226.225.726.0
35-44    29.729.129.429.4
45-54    21.421.421.821.5
55-59    8.07.78.07.9
60-64    4.44.64.74.6
65+    1.41.31.41.4
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each age group1
15-19    75.467.867.570.1
20-24    35.934.526.832.4
Total 15-24 (Youths)   45.342.836.341.5
25-34    12.210.28.610.3
35-44    6.45.54.95.6
45-54    6.55.24.95.5
55-59    5.9[4.2][4.0]4.7
60-64    [5.4][5.8][5.0][5.4]
65+    [13.3]***
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 6b (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 7a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Region/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions and National Minimum Wage status
Border, Midland and WesternEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less45.045.137.542.5
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage317.4320.2340.0325.9
   Not stated31.934.731.532.7
   Total394.4399.9409.0401.1
 Border Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less22.520.218.020.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage115.6120.0127.1120.9
   Not stated14.614.513.014.0
   Total152.7154.7158.2155.2
 MidlandEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less8.99.2[5.9]8.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage78.276.283.379.2
   Not stated8.611.08.49.3
   Total95.896.497.596.6
 WestEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less13.615.713.514.3
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage123.6123.9129.6125.7
   Not stated8.79.210.19.3
   Total145.9148.8153.3149.3
Southern and EasternEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less128.1112.597.0112.5
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,023.61,055.81,083.51,054.3
   Not stated122.9130.0124.6125.8
   Total1,274.61,298.41,305.11,292.7
 DublinEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less46.440.938.642.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage452.6466.5478.3465.8
   Not stated46.841.243.743.9
   Total545.8548.6560.7551.7
 Mid-EastEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less20.016.512.216.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage167.5165.8170.6168.0
   Not stated17.717.116.717.2
   Total205.2199.4199.6201.4
 Mid-WestEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less12.912.89.811.8
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage100.7109.7111.6107.3
   Not stated13.09.113.211.8
   Total126.6131.6134.7131.0
 South-EastEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less22.921.918.221.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage131.9136.9143.9137.6
   Not stated13.715.511.613.6
   Total168.5174.3173.8172.2
 South-WestEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less26.020.418.121.5
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage170.9176.9178.9175.6
   Not stated31.647.139.339.3
   Total228.5244.5236.4236.5
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 7a (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 7b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Region/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions
Border, Midland and Western   26.028.627.927.4
 Border    13.012.813.413.0
 Midland    5.15.8[4.4]5.2
 West    7.910.010.09.2
Southern and Eastern   74.071.472.172.6
 Dublin    26.826.028.727.1
 Mid-East    11.510.59.110.5
 Mid-West    7.48.17.37.6
 South-East    13.213.913.513.5
 South-West    15.012.913.513.9
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions1
Border, Midland and Western   23.923.824.224.0
 Border    9.19.19.39.2
 Midland    5.85.65.75.7
 West    9.19.19.29.1
Southern and Eastern   76.176.275.876.0
 Dublin    32.933.133.233.1
 Mid-East    12.411.911.712.0
 Mid-West    7.58.07.87.8
 South-East    10.210.410.410.3
 South-West    13.012.912.712.8
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions1
Border, Midland and Western   12.412.39.911.5
 Border    16.314.412.414.3
 Midland    10.210.8[6.6]9.2
 West    9.911.29.410.2
Southern and Eastern   11.19.68.29.6
 Dublin    9.38.17.58.3
 Mid-East    10.79.16.78.8
 Mid-West    11.410.48.19.9
 South-East    14.813.811.213.2
 South-West    13.210.39.210.9
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 7b (XLS 19KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 8a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by usual hours of work per week and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Usual hours of work per week/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by usual hours of work per week and National Minimum Wage status
1-9 hoursEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less13.09.211.411.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage16.715.315.015.7
   Not stated[3.1]***
   Total32.827.229.529.8
10-19 hoursEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less34.230.132.832.4
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage68.474.376.473.0
   Not stated15.814.914.114.9
   Total118.4119.3123.3120.3
20-29 hoursEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less40.140.029.336.5
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage161.1157.9171.5163.5
   Not stated26.633.027.028.9
   Total227.8230.9227.8228.8
30-34 hoursEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less9.57.86.27.8
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage76.480.079.778.7
   Not stated6.68.88.07.8
   Total92.596.693.994.3
35-39 hoursEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less28.826.921.825.8
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage492.3495.3506.9498.2
   Not stated34.339.936.236.8
   Total555.3562.1564.9560.8
40-44 hoursEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less24.721.217.521.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage354.3382.9395.5377.6
   Not stated45.642.246.944.9
   Total424.6446.3459.8443.6
45 hours & overEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[5.2]6.3[4.1][5.2]
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage115.1115.2123.7118.0
   Not stated8.48.76.77.9
   Total128.7130.1134.5131.1
Variable hoursEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less17.716.111.515.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage56.755.054.755.5
   Not stated14.414.714.114.4
   Total88.885.880.284.9
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 8a (XLS 17KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 8b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by usual hours of work per week and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Usual hours of work per week/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by usual hours of work per week
1-9 hours    7.55.88.57.2
10-19 hours    19.719.124.420.9
20-29 hours    23.225.421.823.5
30-34 hours    5.54.94.65.1
35-39 hours    16.617.116.216.7
40-44 hours    14.313.513.013.6
45 hours & over   [3.0]4.0[3.0][3.4]
Variable hours   10.210.28.69.7
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by usual hours of work per week1
1-9 hours    2.01.61.71.7
10-19 hours    6.86.87.06.9
20-29 hours    13.312.912.913.0
30-34 hours    5.75.75.55.6
35-39 hours    34.434.133.934.1
40-44 hours    25.026.326.526.0
45 hours & over   7.97.98.28.0
Variable hours   4.94.64.24.6
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each usual hours of work per week category1
1-9 hours    43.837.643.241.7
10-19 hours    33.328.830.030.7
20-29 hours    19.920.214.618.2
30-34 hours    11.18.97.29.1
35-39 hours    5.55.24.14.9
40-44 hours    6.55.24.25.3
45 hours & over   [4.3]5.2[3.2][4.2]
Variable hours   23.822.617.421.4
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 8b (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 9a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by full-time/part-time status and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Full and part-time status/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by full-time/part-time status and National Minimum Wage status
Full-timeEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less73.464.853.964.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,095.71,127.51,166.41,129.9
   Not stated102.5107.2106.2105.3
   Total1,271.61,299.51,326.41,299.2
Part-timeEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less99.892.880.791.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage245.3248.5257.1250.3
   Not stated52.357.549.953.2
   Total397.4398.8387.6394.6
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 9a (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 9b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by full-time/part-time status and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Full and part-time status/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by full-time/part-time status
Full-time    42.441.140.141.3
Part-time    57.658.960.058.7
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by full-time/part-time status1
Full-time    76.677.277.877.2
Part-time    23.422.822.222.8
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each full-time/part-time status category1
Full-time    6.35.44.45.4
Part-time    28.927.223.926.7
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 9b (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 10a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by permanency of employment and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Permanency of employment/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by permanency of employment and National Minimum Wage status
Permanent employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less126.5111.996.8111.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,260.31,292.11,342.51,298.3
   Not stated115.5124.1119.3119.6
   Total1,502.41,528.21,558.61,529.7
Temporary employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less45.443.636.141.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage77.180.978.378.8
   Not stated18.320.218.118.9
   Total140.8144.7132.6139.4
Not statedEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage****
   Not stated21.020.418.720.0
   Total25.825.422.924.7
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 10a (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 10b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by permanency of employment and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Permanency of employment/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by permanency of employment
Permanent employees   73.071.072.072.0
Temporary employees   26.227.726.826.9
Not stated   ****
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by permanency of employment1
Permanent employees   91.691.592.491.8
Temporary employees   8.18.17.37.8
Not stated   [0.3][0.3][0.3][0.3]
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each permanency of employment category1
Permanent employees   9.18.06.77.9
Temporary employees   37.135.031.534.6
Not stated   ****
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 10b (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 11a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by supervisory duties and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Supervisory duties/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by supervisory duties and National Minimum Wage status
Person is a supervisorEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less10.49.66.88.9
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage421.1436.3449.6435.7
   Not stated18.221.819.619.9
   Total449.7467.7476.0464.5
Person is not a supervisorEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less162.8147.8127.7146.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage918.5938.1971.9942.8
   Not stated112.5122.0116.0116.8
   Total1,193.71,207.91,215.51,205.7
Not statedEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage****
   Not stated24.120.920.521.8
   Total25.622.722.523.6
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 11a (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 11b Share and proportion of mployees aged 15 years and over classified by supervisory duties and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Supervisory duties/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by supervisory duties
Person is a supervisor   6.06.15.15.8
Person is not a supervisor   94.093.894.994.2
Not stated   ****
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by supervisory duties1
Person is a supervisor   28.529.129.329.0
Person is not a supervisor   71.470.870.670.9
Not stated   ****
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each supervisory duties category1
Person is a supervisor   2.42.21.52.0
Person is not a supervisor   15.113.611.613.4
Not stated   ****
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 11b (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 12a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by duration of employment and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Duration of employment/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by duration of employment and National Minimum Wage status
Less than 3 monthsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less21.125.816.521.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage45.453.151.850.1
   Not stated10.010.89.210.0
   Total76.589.777.581.2
3-5 monthsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less15.218.917.117.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage48.448.655.550.8
   Not stated8.68.18.98.5
   Total72.175.581.576.4
6-11 monthsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less28.425.020.424.6
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage92.892.688.491.3
   Not stated16.917.115.016.3
   Total138.2134.7123.9132.3
Total less than 1 yearEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less64.769.654.062.8
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage186.6194.3195.8192.2
   Not stated35.436.133.134.9
   Total286.8300.0282.9289.9
12-17 monthsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less17.614.615.515.9
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage68.971.976.572.4
   Not stated12.811.811.812.1
   Total99.398.3103.8100.5
18-23 monthsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less13.19.89.310.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage49.560.660.857.0
   Not stated7.49.79.58.9
   Total70.080.179.676.6
18-47 monthsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less24.722.620.422.6
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage128.6155.7153.0145.8
   Not stated16.119.916.917.6
   Total169.5198.2190.3186.0
48 months and greaterEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less50.038.031.940.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage877.8863.9902.0881.2
   Not stated59.863.357.860.3
   Total987.6965.2991.6981.5
Total 1 year and overEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less105.485.077.089.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,124.91,152.11,192.31,156.4
   Not stated96.1104.796.098.9
   Total1,326.41,341.81,365.31,344.5
Not statedEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[3.0]***
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage29.529.635.331.5
   Not stated23.224.027.124.8
   Total55.756.665.959.4
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 12a (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 12b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by duration of employment and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Duration of employment/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by duration of employment
Less than 3 months   12.216.412.313.6
3-5 months   8.812.012.711.0
6-11 months   16.415.915.215.9
Total less than 1 year   37.444.240.140.5
12-17 months   10.29.311.510.3
18-23 months   7.66.26.96.9
24-47 months   14.314.315.214.5
48 months and greater   28.924.123.725.8
Total 1 year and over   60.953.957.257.5
Not stated    [1.7]***
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by duration of employment1
Less than 3 months   4.45.14.44.6
3-5 months   4.24.44.74.4
6-11 months   8.07.77.07.6
Total less than 1 year   16.617.216.016.6
12-17 months   5.75.65.95.8
18-23 months   4.14.64.54.4
24-47 months   10.111.611.111.0
48 months and greater   61.358.859.960.0
Total 1 year and over   81.380.781.581.1
Not stated    2.12.12.52.3
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each duration of employment category1
Less than 3 months   31.732.724.229.7
3-5 months   23.928.023.625.1
6-11 months   23.421.318.721.2
Total less than 1 year   25.726.421.624.6
12-17 months   20.316.916.818.0
18-23 months   20.913.913.315.8
24-47 months   16.112.711.813.4
48 months and greater   5.44.23.44.3
Total 1 year and over   8.66.96.17.2
Not stated    [9.2]***
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 12b (XLS 17KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 13a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by nationality and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Nationality/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by nationality and National Minimum Wage status
Irish nationalsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less122.9115.695.7111.4
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,141.21,165.81,208.81,171.9
   Not stated121.4129.5121.5124.1
   Total1,385.61,410.91,425.91,407.5
Non-Irish nationalsEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less50.342.038.843.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage199.8210.2214.7208.2
   Not stated33.435.234.634.4
   Total283.4287.5288.1286.3
of which:United KingdomEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage33.336.437.535.7
   Not stated[5.0]***
   Total41.743.041.942.2
  EU15 excl. Irl and UKEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[2.0]***
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage15.315.516.215.7
   Not stated*[2.2][2.5][2.1]
   Total18.919.019.619.2
  EU15 to EU28Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less20.316.715.817.6
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage78.979.382.780.3
   Not stated11.014.111.512.2
   Total110.2110.2110.0110.1
  OtherEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less24.620.720.321.9
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage72.379.078.376.5
   Not stated15.715.618.016.4
   Total112.6115.2116.6114.8
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 13a (XLS 17KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 13b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by nationality and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Nationality/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by nationality
Irish nationals  71.073.471.271.8
Non-Irish nationals  29.026.628.828.2
of which:United Kingdom   ****
  EU15 excl. Irl and UK   [1.2]***
  EU15 to EU28   11.710.611.711.3
  Other   14.213.115.114.1
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by nationality1
Irish nationals  83.583.583.783.6
Non-Irish nationals  16.516.416.316.4
of which:United Kingdom   2.42.62.52.5
  EU15 excl. Irl and UK   1.11.11.11.1
  EU15 to EU28   6.66.36.36.4
  Other   6.46.56.36.4
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each nationality category1
Irish nationals  9.79.07.38.7
Non-Irish nationals  20.116.715.317.3
of which:United Kingdom   ****
  EU15 excl. Irl and UK   [11.6]***
  EU15 to EU28   20.517.416.118.0
  Other   25.420.820.622.2
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 13b (XLS 17KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 14a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by highest level of education attained and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Highest level of education attained/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by highest level of education attained and National Minimum Wage status
Primary or belowEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less9.67.98.68.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage36.937.533.836.1
   Not stated10.110.28.39.5
   Total56.655.650.854.3
Lower secondaryEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less26.727.821.025.2
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage105.1107.6113.1108.6
   Not stated16.119.616.717.5
   Total147.9155.0150.8151.2
Higher secondaryEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less69.862.155.662.5
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage305.0310.9321.5312.5
   Not stated42.248.845.445.5
   Total416.9421.8422.6420.4
Post secondary non-tertiaryEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less24.119.216.519.9
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage164.8172.5180.4172.6
   Not stated18.522.619.220.1
   Total207.4214.2216.0212.5
Third level non-honours degreeEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less20.216.816.017.7
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage263.4268.8278.1270.1
   Not stated23.321.519.821.5
   Total306.9307.1313.8309.3
Third level honours degree or aboveEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less16.617.712.415.6
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage437.2445.9461.2448.1
   Not stated25.321.925.024.1
   Total479.1485.5498.6487.7
Other/Not statedEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[6.2][6.2][4.5][5.6]
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage28.732.835.432.3
   Not stated19.320.121.720.4
   Total54.259.161.558.3
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 14a (XLS 17KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 14b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by highest level of education attained and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Highest level of education attained/National Minimum Wage statusQ2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by highest level of education attained
Primary or below   5.55.06.45.6
Lower secondary   15.417.615.616.2
Higher secondary   40.339.441.340.3
Post secondary non-tertiary   13.912.212.312.9
Third level non-honours degree   11.710.711.911.4
Third level honours degree or above  9.611.29.210.0
Other/Not stated   [3.6][3.9][3.3][3.6]
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by highest level of education attained1
Primary or below   3.13.02.72.9
Lower secondary   8.78.88.68.7
Higher secondary   24.724.324.224.4
Post secondary non-tertiary   12.512.512.612.5
Third level non-honours degree   18.718.618.918.7
Third level honours degree or above  30.030.230.430.2
Other/Not stated   2.32.52.62.5
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each highest level of education attained category1
Primary or below   20.617.420.319.4
Lower secondary   20.320.515.718.8
Higher secondary   18.616.614.716.7
Post secondary non-tertiary   12.810.08.410.4
Third level non-honours degree   7.15.95.46.1
Third level honours degree or above  3.73.82.63.4
Other/Not stated   [17.8][15.9][11.3][14.9]
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 14b (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 15a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by degree of urbanisation and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Degree of urbanisation/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by degree of urbanisation and National Minimum Wage status
Densely-populated areaEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less57.354.951.754.6
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage525.1546.3571.6547.7
   Not stated62.261.460.061.2
   Total644.6662.6683.3663.5
Intermediate areaEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less40.635.929.735.4
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage288.1277.3293.0286.1
   Not stated30.237.933.934.0
   Total358.8351.1356.6355.5
Thinly-populated areaEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less75.266.853.165.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage527.8552.3558.9546.3
   Not stated62.565.562.263.4
   Total665.5684.6674.2674.8
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 15a (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 15b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by degree of urbanisation and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Degree of urbanisation/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by degree of urbanisation
Densely-populated area   33.134.838.435.2
Intermediate area   23.422.822.122.8
Thinly-populated area   43.442.439.541.9
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by degree of urbanisation1
Densely-populated area   38.539.240.039.2
Intermediate area   21.720.420.720.9
Thinly-populated area   39.840.439.339.8
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each degree of urbanisation category1
Densely-populated area   9.89.18.39.1
Intermediate area   12.411.59.211.0
Thinly-populated area   12.510.88.710.6
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 15b (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 16a Employees aged 15 years and over classified by household composition and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         '000
Household composition/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Employees classified by household composition and National Minimum Wage status
1 person aged 65+, no persons under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less****
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage[3.8][4.0][4.1][4.0]
   Not stated****
   Total5.05.25.65.3
1 person aged <65, no persons under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less7.77.06.47.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage99.4102.399.8100.5
   Not stated8.69.27.28.3
   Total115.7118.5113.4115.9
2 persons (at least 1 aged 65+), no persons under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less[3.5][3.2][3.2][3.3]
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage28.027.933.929.9
   Not stated[4.1]6.06.05.4
   Total35.637.143.138.6
2 persons (both aged <65), no persons under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less26.523.216.422.0
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage269.4278.9281.1276.5
   Not stated24.426.326.825.8
   Total320.3328.4324.3324.3
3 or more persons (all aged 18 or older), no persons under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less54.148.339.747.4
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage278.5278.7295.8284.3
   Not stated58.857.852.656.4
   Total391.4384.8388.1388.1
1 person (aged 18 or older), 1 or more persons aged under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less7.16.1[5.1]6.1
Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage33.834.333.733.9
   Not stated****
   Total42.742.440.741.9
2 persons (both aged 18 or older), 1-3 persons under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less35.430.329.431.7
Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage457.9466.2485.4469.8
   Not stated28.335.429.231.0
   Total521.7531.9543.9532.5
Other households with persons aged under 18Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less38.338.733.636.9
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage170.1183.7189.8181.2
   Not stated28.227.631.629.1
   Total236.5250.0255.0247.2
All employeesEmployees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less173.2157.6134.5155.1
   Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage1,341.01,376.01,423.51,380.2
   Not stated154.8164.8156.1158.6
   Total1,669.01,698.31,714.11,693.8
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 16a (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 16b Share and proportion of employees aged 15 years and over classified by household composition and National Minimum Wage earnings status
         %
Household composition/National Minimum Wage status  Q2 16Q3 16Q4 16Average Q2 to Q4 16
Share of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less by household composition
1 person aged 65+, no persons under 18   ****
1 person aged <65, no persons under 18   4.44.44.84.5
2 persons (at least 1 aged 65+), no persons under 18   [2.0][2.0][2.4][2.1]
2 persons (both aged <65), no persons under 18   15.314.712.214.2
3 or more persons (all aged 18 or older), no persons under 18   31.230.629.530.5
1 person (aged 18 or older), 1 or more persons aged under 18   4.13.9[3.8]3.9
2 persons (both aged 18 or older), 1-3 persons under 18   20.419.221.920.4
Other households with persons aged under 18   22.124.625.023.8
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Share of total employees by household composition1
1 person aged 65+, no persons under 18   [0.3][0.3]0.3[0.3]
1 person aged <65, no persons under 18   7.17.16.87.0
2 persons (at least 1 aged 65+), no persons under 18   2.12.02.42.2
2 persons (both aged <65), no persons under 18   19.519.719.119.4
3 or more persons (all aged 18 or older), no persons under 18   22.021.321.521.6
1 person (aged 18 or older), 1 or more persons aged under 18   2.72.62.52.6
2 persons (both aged 18 or older), 1-3 persons under 18   32.632.433.032.7
Other households with persons aged under 18   13.814.514.314.2
Total  100.0100.0100.0100.0
 
Proportion of employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less within each household composition category1
1 person aged 65+, no persons under 18   ****
1 person aged <65, no persons under 18   7.26.46.06.5
2 persons (at least 1 aged 65+), no persons under 18   [11.1][10.3][8.6][9.9]
2 persons (both aged <65), no persons under 18   9.07.75.57.4
3 or more persons (all aged 18 or older), no persons under 18   16.314.811.814.3
1 person (aged 18 or older), 1 or more persons aged under 18   17.415.1[13.1]15.2
2 persons (both aged 18 or older), 1-3 persons under 18   7.26.15.76.3
Other households with persons aged under 18   18.417.415.016.9
Total  11.410.38.610.1
1 Note: Denominator excludes employees whose National Minimum Wage status was Not stated
Open in Excel: QNHS National Minimum Wage Series Q4 2016 Table 16b (XLS 18KB)
upArrowHide Table

Background Notes

Purpose of Survey

The Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) began in September 1997, replacing the annual April Labour Force Survey (LFS). The purpose of the survey is the production of quarterly labour force estimates and occasional reports on special social topics. The survey meets the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98, adopted in March 1998, which requires the introduction of quarterly labour force surveys in EU member states.

Reference Period

Information is collected continuously throughout the year from households surveyed each week in each quarter. Up to and including the fourth quarter of 2008, the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) operated on a seasonal quarter basis since its establishment in Q4 1997. As of the first quarter of 2009 the QNHS is now undertaken on a calendar quarter basis.

The reference quarters for survey results are:

Q1 - January to March, Q2 - April to June, Q3 - July to September and Q4 - October to December.

Data Collection

Information is collected on tablet computers, using computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) software.

Sample Design

A two-stage sample design is used. A new sample was introduced in Q4 2012 following the 2011 Census of Population and an additional new sample also based on the 2011 Census of Population will be introduced incrementally from Q3 2016. The sample frame of households is clustered into blocks (small areas) with each block containing a minimum of 60 occupied households on the night of the 2011 Census of Population. In the case of the sample introduced in 2012 the sample frame is stratified using administrative county and population density while the sample introduced in 2016 is stratified using administrative county and the Pobal HP (Haase and Pratschke) Deprivation Index. In the first stage 1,300 blocks are selected using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling and in the second stage 20 households are selected using Simple Random Sampling (SRS). This ensures that each household in the sample frame has an equal probability of selection and results in a total quarterly sample of 26,000 households. The actual achieved sample varies over time depending on the level of response.

The number of valid responding households was 16,420 in Q2 2016, 15,632 in Q3 2016 and 15,808 in Q4 2016.

Households are asked to take part in the survey for five consecutive quarters and are then replaced by other households in the same block. Thus, one fifth of the households in the survey are replaced each quarter and the QNHS sample involves an overlap of 80% between consecutive quarters and 20% between the same quarter in consecutive years. As the new sample based on the 2011 Census of Population was introduced incrementally across each quarter from Q4 2012 to Q4 2013, the new sample is fully effective from Q4 2013.

The survey results are weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by age, sex and region and are also calibrated to nationality control totals. The population estimates for April of each year are published in a separate release.

Usual residence and de facto population concepts

Up to and including Q1 2006 the annual population estimates were calculated using the de facto definition of population (i.e. all persons present in the state). Since Q2 2006 a new concept of usual residence has been used, i.e. all persons usually resident and present in the state plus absent persons who are usually resident in Ireland but are temporarily away from home and outside the state.                      

ILO Labour Force Classification

The primary classification used for the QNHS results is the ILO (International Labour Office) labour force classification.  Labour Force Survey data on this basis have been published since 1988.  The ILO classification distinguishes the following main subgroups of the population aged 15 or over:

In Employment: Persons who worked in the week before the survey for one hour or more for payment or profit, including work on the family farm or business and all persons who had a job but were not at work because of illness, holidays etc. in the week.

Unemployed: Persons who, in the week before the survey, were without work and available for work within the next two weeks, and had taken specific steps, in the preceding four weeks, to find work. It should be noted that as per Eurostat’s operational implementation, the upper age limit for classifying a person as unemployed is 74 years.

Inactive Population (not in labour  force): All other persons.

The labour force comprises persons employed plus unemployed.

Employment Status                  

Those persons classified as being in employment according to the ILO criteria above are then classified in terms of their employment status. The relevant employment status used in this release is those persons who were classified as being In Employment and whose employment status was classified as Employee.                           

National Minimum Wage (NMW)            

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) was introduced in Ireland on April 1st 2000. Since its introduction, the NMW has been adjusted on a number of occasions and for the period covered in this release, Q2 to Q4 2016, the adult rate was €9.15 per hour.                  

The National Minimum Wage is the lowest average hourly rate that can be paid by an employer to an employee. There are a number of exceptions to the requirement to pay NMW and do not apply to:

(a) a person who is a close relative of the employer (i.e. the spouse, civil partner, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, step-father, step-mother, son, daughter, step-son, step-daughter, grandson, grand-daughter, brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister of an employer),

(b) a person taking part in a statutory apprenticeship (e.g. an apprentice printer, plumber, carpenter/joiner, electrician etc), or to

(c) non-commercial activity or work engaged in by prisoners under the supervision of the governor or person in charge of the prison concerned.

If an employee receives food (known as board) and/or accommodation (known as lodgings) from an employer, this may be taken into account in the minimum wage calculation although these board or lodging offsets are allowable up to a fixed maximum amount only.

Sub-Minimum Rates               

The legislation provides for three different categories of sub-minimum rates, which are fixed as a percentage of the national hourly rate. These rates apply to:

(a)    those under 18 years of age,

(b)    those over 18 who are in a first job (for up to two years), and

(c)    those over 18 who are undergoing a prescribed course of study or training (known as trainee rates). Maximum periods of training range from 3 months to 3 years,   and training must be certified.

QNHS questions on the NMW

Questions on the NMW were introduced to the QNHS in Q2 2016 and included the following:

The National Minimum Wage is €9.15 per hour. Are your gross hourly earnings excluding bonuses, overtime and allowances:

  1.    Less than €9.15 per hour
  2.    Exactly €9.15 per hour
  3.    More than €9.15 per hour

Do you earn less than €9.15 per hour because you are on:

  1.     A special training rate
  2.     An age-related rate
  3.     A first job over 18 rate
  4.     Other reason

An additional question asking those who answered ‘Other reason’ to the above question was also included. This question was piloted to work towards identifying any patterns for choosing this ‘Other reason’ but no such pattern was identified. 

The QNHS is not designed to be an earnings survey and therefore the NMW data in this release is based on each respondent self-reporting their income. As a result some caution is urged in the interpretation of this data. In addition, as the data presented in the release is collected directed from individual respondents, caution is urged in comparing these results to data collected directly from business enterprises.

In addition, as a number of respondents did not report their status with regard to the NMW, these respondents are identified as ‘Not stated’ in the relevant data tables and are excluded from the denominator in calculating the share or proportion of all respondents on the NMW.

NACE Industrial Classification

The QNHS sectoral employment figures are based on the EU NACE Rev. 2 (Nomenclature generale des activites economique dans les Communautes europeennes) classification as defined in Council Regulation (EC) no 1893/2006.  Fourteen NACE sub-categories are distinguished in Table 2 of this release. From Q1 2009 NACE Rev. 2 has been adopted as the primary classification of industrial sectors for use in QNHS outputs. From Q4 1997 to Q4 2008 the NACE Rev. 1.1 classification had been in use.

NACE Rev. 2 classification is more detailed than the NACE Rev. 1.1 classification. In particular more sections are now identified for services activities with the aim of better capturing economic activity within services. In cases where there is a direct one to one correspondence (e.g. section H ‘Hotels and restaurants’ in NACE Rev. 1.1 directly corresponds to section I ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ sector in NACE Rev. 2) then the two different series can be expected to be broadly comparable.

However, the series will not be exactly the same, as the process of applying NACE Rev. 2 involved a very detailed recoding process whereby the new NACE classification was applied to each record in each quarter. The detailed nature of this process means it should be expected that even in the case of a one to one correspondence between a NACE Rev. 2 and NACE Rev. 1.1 section; minor differences in the level of the estimates may be seen.

Occupation Classification

As a result of changes to the European regulations governing the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (implemented in Ireland using the QNHS) the CSO is obliged to report occupational coding data to Eurostat based on the new Europe wide classification ISCO-08 from Q1 2011 onwards. To allow this requirement to be met the CSO has changed to using UK SOC2010 as the primary classification used in collecting the data. ISCO-08 is then derived from UK SOC2010. This change has also been implemented for the Census 2011 results.

The previously used classification for publication purposes in Ireland was UK SOC1990 and this cannot be directly compared to the new UK SOC2010 classification as all occupations have been reclassified accordingly.  This newer classification reflects the evolution over a period of time of certain occupational areas which were developing rapidly, both in terms of their scale and the complexity of work organisation. One particular example which highlights the impact of these changes on published results is the reclassifying of farmers from the major occupation grouping of ‘Managers and administrators’ in SOC1990 to the major occupation grouping of ‘Skilled trades’ in SOC2010.

Further information regarding SOC 2010 is available at the link below:

http://www.cso.ie/shorturl.aspx/104

NUTS2 and NUTS3 Regions

The regional classifications in this release are based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat.  The NUTS3 regions correspond to the eight Regional Authorities established under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993, which came into operation on 1 January 1994. The NUTS2 regions, which were proposed by Government and agreed by Eurostat in 1999, are groupings of the NUTS3 regions. The composition of the regions is set out below.

Border, Midland and Western NUTS2 Region      Southern and Eastern NUTS2 Region          
Border Cavan Dublin Dublin City
  Donegal   Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
  Leitrim   Fingal
  Louth   South Dublin
  Monaghan    
  Sligo Mid-East Kildare
      Meath
Midland Laois   Wicklow
  Longford Mid-West Clare
  Offaly   Limerick City
  Westmeath   Limerick County
      North Tipperary
West Galway City    
  Galway County South-East Carlow
  Mayo   Kilkenny
  Roscommon   South Tipperary
      Waterford City
      Waterford County
      Wexford
       
    South-West Cork City
      Cork County
      Kerry

 

Reliability of Estimates Presented

Estimates for number of persons where there are less than 30 persons in a cell are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables.

Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses [ ].

Implications of Census 2016 Final Results

The QNHS results are weighted using population estimates which are generated on an ongoing basis. Historically every 5 years the Census of Population results have been used to revise these population estimates, and QNHS results are revised as a consequence.

The population concept of usual residence is used for the QNHS, i.e. all persons usually resident and present in the State plus absent persons who are usually resident in Ireland but are temporarily away from home and outside the State.

The preliminary total for the population enumerated on Census Night 24th April 2016 relates to the de facto population, meaning the population recorded on the night of Sunday, 24 April 2016, together with persons who arrived on the morning of Monday, 25 April 2016 not having been enumerated elsewhere. The figures, therefore, include visitors present on Census Night as well as those in residence, while usual residents temporarily absent from the area are excluded.

The final total for this de facto population enumerated on Census Night 24th April 2016, was 4,739,597 persons, while the existing estimate for the usually resident population for April 2016 is 4,673,700 as detailed in the 2016 Population and Migration Estimates release. There is a difference, therefore, of just under 65,900 between the two figures.

The CSO will be revising the annual population estimates for 2012 to 2016 based on the final Census count of the usually resident population. However, this work cannot commence until the final Census results are available due to the fact that the generation of alternative population estimates requires detailed demographic information such as the number of usually resident persons broken down by nationality, age group and gender. The final Census count was published on 6 April 2017.

The extent of these revisions on labour market indicators will ultimately depend on how the difference between the final Census usually resident count and the existing population estimate is distributed across age groups, regions, time etc. Estimates of persons employed and unemployed will increase in line with the higher population totals. However, in terms of trends the impacts would be expected to be relatively low as the population difference is introduced incrementally over the period. In the case of rates (unemployment rate, employment rate and participation rate) these are likely to have the lowest level of difference as the population increase would be reflected both in the denominator and the numerator. In the case of the unemployment rate for example, changes in both the numbers unemployed and the numbers in the labour force could leave unemployment rates relatively unchanged.

Once the revision work has been completed the CSO will issue an explanatory note on the subject along with the revised labour market estimates

Participating Households

The Central Statistics Office wishes to thank the participating households for their co-operation in agreeing to take part in the survey and for facilitating the collection of the relevant data.

 

upArrowHide Background Notes

Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/q-nmw/qnhs-nationalminimumwageseriesq42016/

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

Tel:
(+353) 21 453 5000
E-Mail:
information@cso.ie

Links:

Careers

You can count on a rewarding career with the CSO.

Learn about our variety of roles and the benefits of working with the CSO.

Follow: