The active population in figures

Note: (e) Estimated data

Working conditions

Legal weekly duration

39 hours. More information on the website of the public service.

Retirement age

65 years

Working contracts

A contract of employment can be verbal or written, or a combination of both.  Most contracts of employment are unlimited i.e. they do not specify an end-date. Fixed-term contracts of employment are generally treated the same way as unlimited contracts, except that they are subject to special rules about termination.
There are no special contracts of employment. Most contracts of employment specify a probation period of twelve months. More details on the website of the International Labor Organization.

Cost of labor

Minimum wage

The National Minimum Wage Act 2000 provides that the minimum wage rate for an experienced adult employee is EUR 8.65 per hour. Click here.

Average wage

Informations are available on the website of the Central statistics Office of Ireland.

Social contributions

Social security contributions paid by employers: 12 %
Social security contributions paid by employees: 4,5%

Social partners

Social dialogue and involvement of social partners

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is the single umbrella organization for trade unions in Ireland representing a wide range of interests of almost 750,000 working people, both in the Republic and in Northern Ireland.
In 2006 there were 64 unions affiliated to Congress, 48 unions with 543,882 members in the Republic of Ireland and 36 unions with 215,478 members in Northern Ireland.

Unions

Irish Congress of Trade Unions

Unionization rate

Currently, roughly 33% of workers in the private sector are unionized, compared to 95% in the public sector. Among foreign-owned firms, roughly 80% of workers do not belong to unions, although pay and benefits are usually more attractive compared with domestic firms.

Labor regulation bodies

International Labour Market