Official figures show that average pay fell in the final quarter of last year compared with the same period in 2010.
The Central Statistics Office said average weekly earnings in the fourth quarter of 2011 were €698.54, down 1.5% from a year earlier. Average pay per hour also fell, by 0.8% to €21.83.
Average weekly pay fell in eight of the 13 sectors covered by the CSO in the three-month period, with the biggest annual fall of 15.3% coming in the construction sector. There was a 13.2% fall in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector, but earnings in the professional, scientific and technical area rose 6.3%.
The CSO also said that public sector weekly earnings had fallen by 5.3%, or €50.91, in the past three years, while private sector earnings had dropped by €29.21 (4.5%).
Employment in the public sector fell by 2.4% over the year to 392,300. The CSO said public sector employment had fallen by 35,000 (8.2%) since late 2008.
