Salary Guides: What do different jobs actually pay in Ireland?
Before diving in, there is one thing worth knowing upfront about Irish salary data. The national average salary looks impressive on paper, but it is heavily skewed by the large number of multinational tech and pharma companies based here. The average annual salary is around €52,600, but the median is significantly lower at approximately €38,000, reflecting Ireland’s two-speed economy where multinational tech and pharma salaries pull the average far above what most workers actually earn. Employsome
So when you see headline figures, take them with a pinch of salt and look at the median for your specific role and sector instead.
The big picture
Average weekly earnings in Ireland reached €1,026.20 in Q1 2025, an increase of 5.6% compared to the previous year according to the CSO. This growth is supported by a stable job vacancy rate and an annual employment increase of 3.3%. Morgan McKinley
Salaries rose by 5.6% in late 2024, led by growth in tech, finance and healthcare sectors. Upgrad
The minimum wage in Ireland from January 2026 is €14.15 per hour.
Salary by sector
Workers in IT and finance commanded the highest median advertised salary in 2025 at €80,000, closely followed by construction and legal at €75,000, and engineering and healthcare at €70,000. Senior finance manager was the highest paid occupation with a median advertised salary of €100,000. Full-time employees across Ireland earned an advertised median gross salary of €54,928 in 2025. RTÉ
At the other end, the accommodation and food service sector recorded the lowest average total labour costs at €19.47 per hour in Q1 2025. Central Statistics Office
Location matters a lot
Dublin consistently pays the most across all sectors, but the cost of living, particularly rent, eats significantly into that advantage. Cork, Galway and Limerick are increasingly attractive alternatives offering competitive salaries with lower living costs. If you are relocating outside Dublin, factor this into your salary expectations in both directions.
A note on tax
Ireland has a progressive tax system. On a salary of around €50,000 you will pay Income Tax, Universal Social Charge (USC) and PRSI. Take-home pay ends up being meaningfully lower than the gross figure, so always calculate your net salary when planning your budget. There are a number of online Irish tax calculators that will do this for you quickly.
Where to research your specific role
These resources all use different data sources and methodologies so treat each as one data point rather than gospel. Cross-referencing a few of them will give you a more realistic picture.
One final thing
Salary figures in Ireland are always gross. When comparing to what you earned in South Africa, make sure you are comparing gross to gross and then calculating your Irish net separately. Many people are surprised by how much tax they pay here, particularly once you cross the higher rate threshold at around €42,000. Know your numbers before you negotiate.
