Irish Earnings Rise: Accommodation & Food Services See Largest Gains

Average weekly earnings in Ireland increased by 3.1% in the fourth quarter of 2025, reaching €1,011.88, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This represents a rise from €981.45 in the same period of the previous year. The data, released on February 24, 2026, indicates continued growth in the Irish economy, driven by stable employment and a consistent job vacancy rate.

Sectoral Performance

While earnings rose across all sectors, the Accommodation & Food Services Activities sector experienced the most significant annual percentage increase, at 6.8%. This increase saw average weekly earnings rise from €448.20 to €478.67. The Financial, Insurance & Real Estate Activities sector followed closely with a 6.2% increase, moving from €1,339.25 to €1,422.89 over the year [RTÉ], [Irish Times].

Hourly Earnings and Labour Costs

Average hourly earnings as well saw an increase of 3.4% to €31.22 in Q4 2025, up from €30.18 in Q4 2024 [CSO]. Average hourly total labour costs increased by 3.3% to €36.70 during the same period. The Information & Communication sector recorded the highest average hourly total labour costs at €59.53, while the Accommodation & Food Service Activities sector had the lowest at €20.07 [RTÉ].

Employment and Vacancies

The job vacancy rate at the end of Q4 2025 was 1.3%, a slight increase of 0.1% from Q4 2024, but 0.1% lower than the rate recorded at the end of Q3 2025 [CSO]. There were 30,200 job vacancies at the end of the quarter, an increase of 3,300 from the 26,900 vacancies a year earlier. The Public Administration & Defence sector had the highest job vacancy rate at 5.7%, followed by 2.5% in the Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities sector [CSO].

Public Sector Earnings

Average weekly earnings in the public sector increased by 3.7%, rising from €1,186.72 to €1,230.11. The Garda Síochána (Irish Police Force) had the highest average weekly earnings and paid hours within the public sector, at €1,558.72 and 41.2 hours respectively. The education sector recorded the highest average hourly earnings at €51.22 [Irish Times].

Looking Ahead

CSO statistician Niall O’Sullivan noted that the continued increase in average earnings is driven by a stable job vacancy rate and annual employment growth of 2% [RTÉ]. From Q1 2026, the CSO will utilize the modern NACE Rev.2.1 classification system, which will provide a more accurate picture of the Irish economy by better reflecting emerging economic activities [CSO].