Minimum Wage

The Minimum Wage will increase from 1st January 2017. The rate for adults will rise from €9.15 to €9.25 per hour, an increase of 10 cent.

Minimum Wage applies to all employees, including full-time, part-time, temporary and casual employees, the only exceptions are for close relatives of employers and apprentices under the Industrial Training Act 1967.

The new rates are listed below: 

• Experienced Adult Worker = €9.25
  
  
• Under the age of 18 = €6.48
  
  
• In the first year after the date of first employment over the age 18* = €7.40
  
  
• In the second year after the date of first employment over age 18*  = €8.33
  
  

* Employment experience prior to age 18 is not taken into account for these rates.

Sunday Pay

If not already included in the rate of pay, employees are generally entitled to a premium payment for Sunday working, or paid time off in lieu.

Employment Regulation Orders (EROs)

Employment Regulation Orders are in place within the Contract Cleaning and Security industries which set out industry specific minimum wage rates. Employers in these industries should ensure they are compliant.

Compliance

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) holds responsibility for securing compliance with the minimum wage, formerly held by NERA. In 2014, almost 5,600 inspections were carried out on random workplaces across Ireland. These resulted in €861,416 of unpaid wages being recovered.