Ciarán Nugent: Minimum wage lags the living wage of €12.90 an hour, even before inflation

Ireland has one of the highest shares of low-wage employment in the developed world.

More than a third of Irish workers earn less than the living wage which is estimated to be €12.90 an hour, or €503 a week

Discussions on competitiveness usually focus on minimum wages even though in developed economies minimum wages are only relevant in low-value-added sectors. In Ireland's case that applies almost exclusively to hospitality, and the one-in-12 workers who are employed in the sector. 

Here, more than a third of Irish workers earn less than the living wage which is estimated to be €12.90 an hour, or €503 a week.