People working in education earned the highest hourly rate of any sector in the Irish economy between July and September of this year, while the highest average weekly income is in the information and communication sector.
According to new figures from the Central Statistics Office, those working in education earned an average hourly rate of €33.63 in the third quarter, however, this amount has fallen by 2% in the past year.
Although education employees have the highest hourly rate, the figures also show the sector has the lowest number of hours worked, at 24.6 per week.
At €28.96, the information and communication sector has the second highest average hourly rate, while the lowest earning sector per hour is accommodation and food service, with a rate of €12.44.
Across sectors the average earnings per hour were €21.55 in Q3, representing a 0.2% annual rise.
The CSO data also show average weekly earnings in the economy rose by 1.2% between July and September to €701.87.
The sector with the highest weekly income is information and communication (€1,060.90), followed by financial insurance and real estate (€990.70).
Those working in the accommodation and food earn the lowest of any sector, with an average weekly income of €338.09.
Since January, construction workers have experienced the largest weekly earnings increase in percentage terms, with a 5.7% jump to €739.92.
Moreover, the statistics show private sector employees earn an average of €642.50 per week, while the equivalent for public sector workers is €915.92.
Commenting on today's CSO figures, Davy analyst David McNamara said that Irish households have now experienced modest wage growth for eight consecutive quarters.
He said this should persist in the near term with inflation expected to remain weak.
"Overall wage growth remains subdued despite a significant tightening in the labour market in recent quarters, suggesting that there is plenty of slack left in the Irish labour market," Mr McNamara added.
