New ESRI research using online job advertisement data provides insights into minimum wage employment in Ireland

April 30, 2025

Labour Markets and Skills
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A new ESRI study, funded by the Low Pay Commission, examines minimum wage employment in Ireland using online job vacancy data. The study provides new information on minimum wage employment, including the county-level incidence of minimum wage jobs, as well as the skills and experience requirements that employers look for when hiring minimum wage workers. The research also shows the type of companies that hire large numbers of minimum wage workers.

Key findings from the report include:

  • In 2023, minimum wage jobs accounted for approximately 7 per cent of all hourly-paid job vacancies. However, following the 2024 minimum wage increase, from €11.30 to €12.70 per hour, the incidence doubled to over 15 per cent.
  • The incidence of minimum wage job vacancies differs across counties. From 2021 to 2024, approximately 7 per cent of job advertisements in Dublin were for minimum wage workers, compared to over 20 per cent in Donegal.
  • The top three minimum wage jobs in Ireland are kitchen helpers, shop sales assistants and bartenders.
  • The top three skills required for minimum wage jobs are ‘customer service’, ‘communication’, and ‘sales’. Other important skills are: proficiency in English; being detail oriented; management; hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP); cleanliness; merchandising; and food safety.
  • Focusing on job vacancies that specifically mention previous work experience, the results show that the majority (80 per cent) of minimum wage positions require one to three years of previous experience.
  • The length of time an online vacancy remained published online is taken as a measure of how difficult the vacancy is to fill. The time it takes to fill minimum wage positions is no different from higher paid jobs.
  • The main business activity of the top minimum wage employer in Ireland is ‘catering and facilities management’. Retail was the business activity of both the second and third largest minimum wage employers. Other large minimum wage employers typically operate in catering services, retail or hospitality. Generally, these employers posted minimum wage vacancies for catering staff, service staff, sales assistants, cleaners, packaging assistants or administrative staff.

Dr. Paul Redmond, an author of the report and an Associate Research Professor at the ESRI, said “The recent availability of online job vacancy data allows us to gain new insights into minimum wage employment in Ireland. For the first time, we can see how minimum wage employment varies across the country, and profile the top skills and experience requirements associated with minimum wage jobs.”

Ultan Courtney, Chair of the Low Pay Commission, said “I welcome the publication of this important research on minimum wage employment in Ireland, which was produced under a research partnership between the Low Pay Commission and the ESRI. As an independent statutory body, The Low Pay Commission, has a responsibility to ensure that its recommendations are verifiable, data driven and are sustainable for employers and adequate for employees. This new research gives us important insights into how minimum wage workers interact within a modern economy and labour market. This research will improve our discussions with stakeholders and enhance our own deliberations as we move towards our recommendations to the Government for 2026.”