Professionals among best paid in EU

QUALIFIED professionals in Ireland now rank among the best paid in Europe, according to the latest salary comparisons.

Although there is much variation in salary levels between different trades, highly skilled workers earn at times 13,000 more than equivalent employees in Spain.

For the first time, Irish workers are clocking in as the fourth best paid workers in the 12 eurozone nations. The same survey last year placed Irish workers in fifth position. The research, compiled by recruitment specialists, Irishjobs.ie, also reveals workers such as accountants and software engineers took massive pay rises in the last year.

Accountants jumped from an average salary of 37,000 in 2002 to 52,000 this year - an increase of 15,000 - while software engineers took an average wage increase of 13,000 since last year.

The research, which looked at five different jobs across the eurozone, shows that salaries across all categories are highest in Luxembourg, Germany and Austria - often far above Irish standards.

Consequently, the average salary of an Irish marketing manager is 62,000, over 40,000 less than the wage packet of an equivalent worker in Luxembourg.

Irishjobs.ie chief executive Maria Mahon said the results meant Ireland had maintained and marginally

increased its competitiveness within Europe. However she warned that workers would likely face a stagnation in salaries in the coming year: "The results of our research clearly show that one year after the introduction of the euro, salaries continue to vary from country to country. The interesting trend that has emerged is that some countries' salaries have not only stagnated but actually decreased," Ms Mahon said, adding that, at best, only marginal increases could be expected by Irish workers in 2003.

According to a previous Irishjobs.ie survey, many workers seem already to know pay rises are unlikely this year. That report, released in October, revealed 56% of Irish workers do not expect to receive a pay rise this year.