Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Ireland
Ireland: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 86.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Ireland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Ireland stood at 86.6%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Ireland peaked at 86.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 76.0%, in 1992.
That places Ireland 37th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 76.5% | — |
| 1992 | 76.0% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.6% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 77.4% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 77.9% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 79.1% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 79.2% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 79.7% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 80.7% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 80.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 81.7% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 82.3% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 82.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 82.6% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 83.8% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 83.7% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 83.2% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 82.5% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 82.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 83.2% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 83.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.2% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 83.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 83.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 84.6% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 85.0% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 85.6% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 85.5% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 85.8% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 86.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 85.9% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 86.6% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 86.6% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.1% | 76.0% | 80.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 82.5% | 80.9% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.8% | 82.8% | 85.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.1% | 85.5% | 86.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More work & labour data for Ireland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4574 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4405 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9335 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,354 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,447 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,638 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,286 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Ireland?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Ireland was 86.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 86.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.0% in 1992.
- How does Ireland rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Ireland ranks 37th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.