Average weekly earnings fell marginally in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time last year.
New Central Statistics Office figures show that average weekly earnings eased to €696.59 in the first three months of 2013 compared to €969.67 the same time in 2012.
Revised weekly earnings stood at €691.74 in the fourth quarter of last year, down 0.8% on the same time in 2011.
The CSO said that weekly earnings rose in six of the 13 sectors surveyed, with the biggest percentage increase in the administrative and support service sector, which rose by 3.3%.
The biggest fall was seen in the professional, scientific and technical sector, with earnings there down 3.7%.
Weekly earnings in the private sector rose by 0.7% annually compared with a fall of 0.5% in the public sector - including semi-state sector - over the year.
This brings the average weekly earnings in the first quarter to €628.26 and €913.25 respectively.
The CSO figures also revealed that average weekly paid hours fell to 31.2 in the first quarter of 2013, down 0.3 hours or 1%.
The CSO noted that in the four years to 2012, average weekly paid hours are down 1.3% or 0.4 hours.
Per hour worked, education is the best paid sector (€35.10), followed by finance insurance and real estate (€30.49) and ICT (€28.55).
However, because of substantially less paid hours worked (22.9), education falls to sixth place on a weekly basis.
First is ICT, the finance insurance and real estate, then public adminstration and defence.
