Real wages fell by 1.3% during first three months of the year

CSO data shows distribution, transport, hotels, and restaurants sector saw a wage decline of 3.2%, while industry was down 2.9%, and public administration, education, and health was down 2.6%

Finance minister Paschal Donohoe said given the uncertain global economic outlook, 'we need to continue to calibrate economic and budgetary policies that recognise the changed external backdrop'. 

Employee wages saw a decline in real terms of 1.3% during the first three months of the year, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows, as gross domestic product (GDP) growth is revised down.

According to the latest quarterly national accounts for the first three months of the year, €36.2bn was paid to employees, a decline of 1.3% compared to the previous three-month period.