Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chief Whip for her reply. The question is to ask the Taoiseach the proposals he is considering to expand the scope of statistics being collected and reported relating to employment and wage levels beyond those required for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development comparisons. While extensive work has been undertaken by the CSO on employment and various methodologies are used, significant work is required on wage structures across the economy, especially at the lower end. Up to 600,000 people earn wages of less than €30,000 and it would be useful if specific work could be undertaken on wage levels, especially low to middle income wage levels in the economy. There is a view across western Europe and developed economies that there is a growing disparity between corporate incomes and those of workplace employees and between different sectors. In the financial and technology sectors prospects are far better, but wages have been reducing in the retail and manual sectors.

It would be useful if statistical work was also undertaken on the impact of the minimum wage on overall wage levels. While the minimum wage has brought up wage levels, there might be an argument that in some sectors employers have brought incomes down to meet the minimum wage. It has been my view that in the hospitality sector, for example, over a decade or so that happened, in essence, in many jobs and that once the minimum wage was set, incomes for certain posts came down to meet it. Very little work has been done on that point. We need to critically analyse the wage structure within society and the economy because much academic work undertaken points to the fact that wide gaps are opening up. There are people on very high incomes but the middle income group is declining as well. That is happening in the United States and in most developed economies. It could be a feature of globalisation but ultimately it is having an impact on the nature of democracy. The issue could be the subject of a particular statistical analysis by the CSO. Will the Minister of State ask the CSO to give consideration to that?

Did the Minister of State say there is no proposal to expand the scope of statistics being collected and reported relating to employment and wage levels beyond those required by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development comparisons? My understanding from the reply is that the status quowill prevail? Could the Minister of State indicate whether that is the case?

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