This study uses new administrative earnings data, linked to the Irish Labour Force Survey, to analyse the impact of three successive minimum wage increases that took place over the period 2016 to 2018, on the hours worked of minimum wage employees. The study allows for the assessment of the...

In 2016, the Irish minimum wage increased from €8.65 to €9.15 per hour. A new ESRI study, funded by the Low Pay Commission, found that the 2016 minimum wage increase led to higher labour costs among firms with more than half of their employees on the minimum wage. However, these types of...

Using data for 2017 and 2018, this report provides a comparative analysis of minimum wage employment in Ireland, relative to a selection of other European countries with a statutory minimum wage. We estimate that just under 10 per cent of employees in Ireland were on the minimum wage during this...

This ESRI study, funded by the Low Pay Commission, found that the 2016 increase in the Irish minimum wage reduced hourly wage inequality between high and low earners by up to 8 per cent. However, there was no strong impact on the income of households.

ESRI research, funded by Solas, examines the effectiveness of the programme aimed at young people who leave school early. It finds that the Youthreach programme helps young people who leave school early to have a positive experience of teaching and learning, supports the development of their...

This study, funded by the Low Pay Commission, found that the 2018 increase in the Irish minimum wage did lead to some immediate reductions in the hours worked by minimum wage employees but only in particular segments of the economy. The reduced hours were found in the Dublin and West regions and...

Ireland's Probability of Exit (PEX) statistical profiling model predicts the likelihood that a claimant will still be unemployed 12 months after the day that they make their initial unemployment benefit claim. The model was initially developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)...

Previous research has shown that, on average, lower paid workers were more susceptible to job losses during the pandemic. This relates to the fact that many low paid jobs are in sectors that were particularly hard hit by the public health measures. For example, many businesses in the...