THE AVERAGE INDUSTRIAL WAGE fell by 3.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, new figures have shown.
Data published by the Central Statistics Office shows that the average person working in the industrial sector saw their weekly pay fall to €803.98 before tax, or a gross annual salary of €41,806.96.
That’s down from €43,221.36 in the first quarter, but up very slightly from the same period of last year when the annual salary stood at €41,771.08.
Across all sectors, and not just industry, the average wage fell by just under €8 a week – from €36,179.00 in the first quarter to €35,767.68 in the last figures, a drop of 1.1 per cent.
Other sectors, however, saw more profound variations in their pay levels. Workers in the information and communication sector saw wages fall by 7.7 per cent in the first quarter alone – though, at €962.06 a week, they are still up by 2.6 per cent on the same time last year.
Similarly, professional and scientific work saw pay fall by 6.5 per cent in the last three months, but it’s up by 5.9 per cent when compared to this point last year. The average weekly wage there is €801.19.
At the other end of the scale, pay in the accommodation and food services sector rose by 4.4 per cent – but not only does that sector still rank at the bottom of the chart in terms of pay levels, at €310.40 a week, but it has also seen pay fall by 5.7 per cent in a year.
The fall in ICT wages mean that those in the financial sector are once again the highest earners, at €983.24 a week – down by 3.8 per cent in the last three months, but up by 1.3 per cent since last year.
The average weekly pay packet in the private sector is now €611.66 – down by 1.9 per cent in the last three months – while public sector workers have seen average pay rise by 0.3 per cent to €918.99.
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