50% of income spent on childcare
The latest international study of such costs relative to average salaries — carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2004 — shows that across 27 countries, Ireland is second only to Switzerland in terms of high childcare costs.
The average industrial wage is €32,600 here, while the OECD research, carried out in 2004, puts the average cost of full-time crèche care at €625 a month.
