Ireland’s Female Employment Surges, Earnings Gap Narrows

New data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveals significant gains in female employment in Ireland, alongside a narrowing of the gender pay gap. The figures highlight a substantial shift in the Irish labor market over the past two decades.

Dramatic Rise in Female Employment

The estimated number of women in employment reached 1,328,900 in the fourth quarter of 2025, a remarkable 82.1% increase from the 729,900 reported in the fourth quarter of 2000. This surge indicates a growing participation of women in the Irish workforce.

Sectoral Distribution of Female Employment

The Human Health & Social Work sector and the Education sector are the largest employers of women in Ireland. In 2025, women comprised approximately three-quarters of the workforce in both of these sectors.

Shift Away from Home Duties

Concurrently, the number of women reporting their main economic status as “engaged in home duties” has decreased significantly. This number fell by 61.8% from 520,500 in 2010 to 198,800 in 2025, reflecting changing societal roles and increased female labor force participation.

Female Representation in Employment Types

In the final quarter of 2025, women accounted for 41.7% of people in full-time employment and a substantial 67.1% of those in part-time employment. This suggests a higher prevalence of women in flexible work arrangements.

Educational Attainment

Women are increasingly well-educated, with 63.6% of women in employment holding a third-level degree in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 52.8% of men. This higher educational attainment among women may contribute to their increasing economic empowerment.

Earnings Growth and the Gender Pay Gap

Median weekly earnings for women rose by 39.2% between 2014 (€469.85) and 2024 (€654.07). This increase is comparable to the 36.5% rise in median weekly earnings for men over the same period, which went from €587.52 in 2014 to €802.14 in 2024.

Increased Representation at Higher Earnings Levels

The proportion of women among the top 1% of earners increased from 22.6% in 2019 to 27.6% in 2024. Similarly, the proportion of women with earnings in the top 10% rose from 27.9% to 30.6% over the same period, indicating progress in closing the gender pay gap at the higher end of the income spectrum.

Nationality and Earnings

In 2024, Indian women had the highest median weekly earnings at €919.27, followed by Irish women at €677.02 and UK nationals at €646.01. Notably, Indian women were the only nationality group whose median weekly earnings exceeded those of their male counterparts (€821.96) – a trend observed since 2020.

Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO) releases, https://www.cso.ie/