Irelands Working Conditions And Salary

26 Aug 2013

Due to the influential existence of trade unions in Ireland, salaries are regularly negotiated on a collective basis. This means that salaries may be similar in various industries and areas. The salaries in Ireland see annual increases as determined by the national wage agreements. Financial and IT services are currently the highest paid sectors in Ireland, with manufacturing and pharmaceutical also showing attractive salaries.

Food, drink, constructions, tobacco processing, telecommunications and medical appliance manufacturing are some other sectors with higher salaries.

One can expect to earn around 30% more for the same job at large a company, as opposed to a small one. In a managerial role, one can expect to receive the best compensation in manufacturing and production. Other high paying manager departments are finance and accounting, marketing or sales, IT, human resources and administration. Looking for an executive level position, you can expect the best compensation in marketing. After that, you should look in sales, finance and technical departments.

Workaholic culture is not something the Irish practice and have an average work week of 39 hours. Many Irish are not seen working weekends or long hours, and a typical workday lasts from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, with an hour removed for lunch between noon and 2:00 pm. Government offices and many other offices are actually closed between noon and 2:00 pm.

The maximum work week in Ireland legally is 48 hours, which is a four month average. The working hours are governed by European Union directives, which state that one must get 11 hours of rest in every 24 hours and at least one rest period in a working-day of not more than 6 hours. It also says that one is entitled to at least 24 hours of continuous rest every week. If an individual does end up working on a Sunday, he/she will have to be paid double time. If an individual works night shifts, he/she is entitled to a free health assessment before starting night work, and you can get one at regular intervals after that.

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