International Protection Applicants (IPAs) who had jobs in 2024 earned about €544 per week, compared to typical workers who earned around €712 per week.
Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on the employment outcomes of IPAs shows 74% in employment were male, while females accounted for 26% in 2024.
The waiting period for IPAs to enter the labour market was reduced from nine months to six months in 2021.
Of those in employment in 2024, 64% worked in three sectors: Administrative and Support Services (36%), Accommodation and Food Services (16.3%), and Wholesale and Retail Trade (11.4%)
Median weekly earnings for the IPA group working in the top three sectors of employment in 2024 were €577.49 in administrative and support services, €445.24 in accommodation and food services, and €516.44 in wholesale and retail trade.
The highest median weekly earnings in 2024 for the IPA group by nationality were Georgia (€658.60) and Zimbabwe (€566.55).
Of all the members of this group whose allowance had a start date in 2021, there were 57.5% in employment in 2022.
The proportion of the group with a start date in 2022 that were in employment in 2023 was 66%, and for those with a start date in 2023 and employment in 2024 was 59%
Median weekly earnings for eight countries of nationality - Afghanistan, Algeria, Botswana, Georgia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe - were assessed over time and compared with the general population.
The CSO found that Georgian nationals had the highest median weekly earnings in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Not only was Georgia the only country of nationality with median weekly earnings above €600 for the IPA group, but it was also the only country that surpassed this value each year, according to the Life Events and Demography Division of the CSO.
The latest data follows 'Insights on Applicants of International Protection using Administrative data 2024' which was published last summer and focused on the demographics of the group examined.
The statistics released today are based on linked administrative data from Revenue’s PAYE (PMOD) employee tax records and the Department of Social Protection’s welfare systems, combined with existing CSO datasets.
