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Useful facts and stats about living and working in Ireland

Population:  

The current population of the Republic of Ireland is 4.9 million

 

Average earnings:

The average annual earnings for employees in Ireland is €44,202 per year or €3,683 per month (gross salary). The average weekly earnings is €850.05, according to the latest Earnings and Labour Costs figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
 

National Minimum Wage:

The national minimum wage is currently €10.50 per hour. The living wage will be set at 60% of the median wage in any given year, which in 2022 would be €12.17 per hour. The minimum wage will rise to  €11.30 per hour from the beginning of 2023
 
 

Rate of unemployment:

New and revised data from the Central Statistics Office in August 2022 shows that the unemployment rate fell to a 21-year low of 4.2% in both May and July.

 

Rate of Inflation:

Irish inflation is estimated at 9.6% in June 2022
 

Tax overview:

Most employees in Ireland pay tax through the PAYE (Pay As You Earn) system. This means that your employer deducts the tax you owe directly from your wages, and pays this tax directly to the Revenue Commissioners. You will have to pay income tax, PRSI and the Universal Social Charge on your income.

Tax credits reduce the amount of income tax that you have to pay. Your gross tax is calculated depending on your income. Tax credits are then deducted from the gross tax to give the amount of tax that you have to pay. Income tax bands will determine the rate of tax you pay on your income or salary. There are two rates of tax in Ireland: 20% on the first €35,300 earned, 40% on the remainder of your salary. 

As well as Income Tax, most workers in Ireland also have PRSI and USC deducted from their pay.

PRSI (Pay-Related Social Insurance)is a contribution to the national Social Insurance Fund that is paid by both employers and employees. There are different categories of contributions, with most employees paying 4% of their gross weekly earnings.

The USC (Universal Social Charge) is a tax on income that replaced an earlier health levy. If your income is less than €13,000, you do not pay any USC. For people with higher incomes, the following rates apply based on your salary:

Rate

Income band

0.5%

Up to €12,012

2%

From €12,012.01 to €20,484

4.5%

From €20,484 to €70,044

8%

From €70,044.01 and over

11%

Self-employed income over €100,000


In general Ireland’s PAYE tax rates are low as compared to other European countries, however there are other taxes and charges that would probably bring Ireland up to the European average for total taxation, such as VAT @ 23% for many commonly purchased items, property tax etc.

More information on all forms of tax, including income tax, is available on the Revenue’s website at www.revenue.ie

 

Government Department

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation implements the government’s policy on enterprise, innovation, regulation or business and the protection of workers. It administers the employment permit system in Ireland. Their website is: https://dbei.gov.ie/en/

 

Mortgages:

The average standard variable rate is up from 4.91% in June 2022 and compares with a figure of 4.4% in December 2021, just before the series of interest rate rises.

 

Annual Leave:

An employee in Ireland is entitled to 4 working weeks paid holidays per annum. An employment contact with a specific company may allow for more leave than this.

 

Public Holidays:

In Ireland, public holidays are on:

  • 1st January (New Year’s Day)
  • 17th March St Patrick’s Day)
  • Easter Monday
  • First Monday in May, June and August
  • Last Monday in October
  • 25th of December (Christmas Day)
  • 26th December  (St. Stephen’s Day/Boxing day)

 

Redundancy in Ireland:

Redundancy can arise due to the closure of a business or a reduction in the number of staff, where your job ceases to exist. To qualify for a redundancy payment, you must have worked for your employer for at least 104 weeks continuously. The amount of the redundancy payment is determined by the employee's length of continuous service and weekly earning. An agreement can be made between the company and employee but the minimum statutory redundancy rate of two week’s pay for every year of service (above 16), plus one further week’s pay, up to a maximum weekly amount of €600. You can calculate your redundancy here: 

https://www.welfare.ie/EN/Secure/Pages/RedundancyCalculator.aspx

Date Posted:
2022-09-14 09:35:30

Posted By:
philip@pbrecruitment.ie



Contact us,
p: + 353 61 450 679 
e: philip@pbrecruitment.ie
PBRecruitment Ltd, Ducart Suite, National Technology Park, Castletroy, Limerick V94 Y6FD IRELAND
PBRecruitment Ltd is a trading name of Philip Brady Recruitment Ltd, and is registered in Ireland as a private limited company (registration  No. 485423).