New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that average hourly earnings rose from €21.33 an hour in the third quarter of 2010 to €21.64 in the third quarter of this year. This is an increase of 1.5% over the year.
However, hourly earnings still remain 0.5% lower than the level recorded in the third quarter of 2009 at €21.74.
Today's figures also show that average hourly earnings in the private sector increased by 1.6% from €18.91 an hour in the third quarter of last year to €19.22 in the third quarter of this year. Public sector average hourly earnings rose by 1.1% from €28.24 to €28.54 over the same time.
The CSO says that average hourly earnings rose in seven of the 13 sectors with the biggest increase seen in the administrative and support services sector, with wages there up 5.4%. The largest decrease was seen in the construction sector with wages there down 4.3%.
