Ireland is richer than EU norm but wages 6% below average

Irish workers earn 6% less than the average European employee, despite our economy being 16% richer than the EU norm.

These figures were released yesterday by the trade union Unite, under their research, The Truth About Irish Wages.

Compared to the so-called EU15 (which includes countries such as Austria, France and Belgium), Irish employees in the private sector earn €2 per hour or 6% less than their counterparts in these states. At the highest level, private sector workers in Denmark earned on average €42.70 per hour in 2015, whereas private sector employees here earned €28.70 per hour.