This NERI Research InBrief no. 96 by NERI economist, Ciarán Nugent examines Public v Private sector wages from the years 2008-2026.
Private sector hourly wage growth has outpaced the public sector in Ireland since 2008. While nominal public sector wages are up on average by 37% over 18 years in the latest quarterly data, private sector wages are up by between 52% and 59% (depending on season). The difference in the consumer price index over the same period is 30.3%. As such, average hourly earnings are up less than 7% in real terms over 18 years in the public sector and between 19% and 26% in the private sector. Hourly wages are about 25% higher in the public sector on average in 2026. Average earnings for Gardaí have outperformed all other public sector worker groups by a considerable margin, while civil servants and public sector workers in regional bodies earn significantly less per hour in 2026 than they had in 2008 in real terms. Considering employee groups by educational requirements however, Managers and Professionals and manual workers in the private sector are paid more than in the public sector, while Clerical and Service workers are paid less.