THE average worker’s earnings rose by over €1,200 to €38,871 last year.

This is an all time high since the Central Statistics Office began recording the figures in 2008 – when the average wage was €36,758.

The new figures show that average annual earnings rose by 3.3pc in 2018, up from €37,637 the previous year.

This compared with a 1.9pc rise in 2017 from €36,933 in 2016 – an increase of €704.

However these figures include full-time and part-time workers.

Taken separately, average yearly earnings for full-time workers stood at €47,596 in 2018 – up 2.6pc on the previous year.

Part-time workers’ earnings rose more sharply – by 3.5pc – to €17,651.

The large increase was 7.9pc in the information and communication sector where average annual earnings climbed from €56,758 to €61,269, while construction wages rose by 5.7pc to €40,561.

The public administration and defence sector had the lowest average growth of 1.7pc to €49,724.

Total earnings for the entire workforce were €71.5bn last year, an increase of over 7pc.

This was driven by a 4pc rise in the numbers employed, a hike of almost 3pc in average hourly earnings and a rise of 0.4pc in average weekly hours worked.

The Central Statistics Office’s latest ‘Earnings and Labour Costs Annual Survey’ says that average annual earnings have recovered since the downturn.

It says they have risen by just over 8pc - or €2,920 - from €35,951 in the five years since 2013.

Online Editors