Fears low pay could become ‘embedded’ in labour market

The Nevin Economic Research Institute has warned of the potential for low pay in certain sectors of the economy to become “embedded” and a permanent feature of some individuals within the labour market.

NERI, the trade union-affiliated economic think-tank, has published a study of earnings and low pay in the economy as well as policy issues which, it says, need to be addressed.

It points to the latest pay profile for the country which shows 25.6% or 345,000 of the population earn less than the “living wage” of €11.45 per hour and some 30% earn less than Eurostat’s “low pay threshold” of €12.20.