Average weekly earnings were €696.03 in the first three months of this year, according to preliminary estimates from the Central Statistics Office.

That's a rise of 0.5% from from €692.43 at the same time last year.

Revised weekly earnings for the end of last year were €702.06 and showed an increase of 1.9% over the last three months of 2013.



In January, February and March this year average hourly earnings were €22.23. Average weekly paid hours were 31.3 in the first three months, showing no change on those recorded at the same time in 2014.

Seasonally adjusted average weekly earnings fell to €697.73, a fall of €0.22 from the previous three months.

Sector by sector, over a four year period from the start of 2011 to early this year, weekly earnings in the information and communication sector rose by 15.3% to €1,097.48. In the human health and social work sector weekly earnings fell by 7.1% to €666.37.

In the past year average weekly earnings increased in five of the 13 sectors measured. The biggest percentage increase was in the information and communication sector, up 5.8%.

The biggest percentage sectoral decrease was recorded in the financial, insurance and real estate sector which saw weekly earnings fall from by 4.7% to €1,059.44.



Weekly average earnings in the private sector showed increased by 0.6% to € 634.55 in the year to the end of March, compared with an increase of 0.1% in the public sector (including semi-state sector) to €904.19.



