Quarterly Employment Monitor - July 2018

Posted on Tuesday, 24 July 2018
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Social Justice Ireland's quarterly Employment Monitor, published July 2017, may be accessed here. This issue deals with the differences across the different economic sectors in the areas of Employee Numbers, Average Hourly Earnings, and Paid Hours.

It highlights a number of trends, including:

  • That the sectors experiencing the greatest increases in employment between the beginning of 2008 and the end of 2017 were Human Health & Social Work (+16.6%); Accommodation & Food Services (+16%); Education (+14.5%); Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities (+12.4%); and Information & Communication (+9.7%). The national average over the period was 1.4%;
  • That while Human Health & Social Work was the best performing sector by this same measure from 2008 to 2017, it was among the worst performing when measured from 2012 or from 2015 to the present;
  • Measured since 2012, when the recovery in employment began tentatively, employment in Construction has increased by 62%, while it has increased in the Accommodation & Food Services sector by 50% in the same period;
  • One third of all workers in the Accommodation & Food Service Sector earn the minimum wage, while half earn below the Living Wage;
  • While the large jump in the numbers employed in the Accommodation and Food Services sector has been impressive, it is still the lowest paid sector in the entire economy;
  • Despite the increasing number of employees in the hospitality sector, average hours worked have fallen by more than 3 hours per worker per week. All this raises questions about the ability of workers within the Accommodation and Food Service sector to earn sufficient money to achieve a minimum essential standard of living.

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