Rejoice! Ireland’s living wage increases to €11.90
Some Irish workers can look forward to a slight increase in their hourly pay as Ireland’s living wage has increased by 20 cents.
Workers will now be paid at least €11.90 an hour so they can enjoy a decent standard of living.
It is understood that the boost is down to Ireland’s housing crisis. People are struggling more than ever to afford housing in Ireland, which means the price of living has increased.
The news was confirmed by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice: “Rising rents push Living Wage to €11.90 per hour in 2018, a €0.20 increase from 2017. The #LivingWage represents the minimum average gross salary of a single full-time worker without dependents, needs to afford an acceptable minimum standard of living.”
There has been a drop in the cost of health insurance, transport and food in 2018, but the growing rent prices are swallowing up nearly half of the average person’s wages.
Dr Bernadette McMahon of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice stated: “We try and reflect a figure which actually reflects the cost of living and what people have to spend for a reasonable standard of living.”
Employers do not have to pay their workers the living wage, but many companies support the idea.
There is no plan to increase the minimum wage yet. The minimum wage currently stands at €9.55 in Ireland.
