Written answers
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Department of An Taoiseach
Employment Data
Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach the number of persons in receipt of sub-minima rates of pay for those aged 17, 18 and 19 years, in tabular form. [53298/25]
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the official source of estimates of employment in the State.
The LFS produces estimates for the number of employees who report earning the national minimum wage as well as those who indicate they have gross hourly earnings which do not exceed the national minimum wage.
In Q2 2025 there were 28,500 employees, aged 17-19 years, who reported that they earned the national minimum wage of €13.50 per hour, with a further 18,600 reporting that they earned less than the national minimum wage. The total number of employees in this age cohort in Q2 2025 was 74,600.
Number of employees aged 17 - 19 years earning the National Minimum Wage or less, Q2 2021 - Q2 2025 '000s
| - | Q2 2021 | Q2 2022 | Q2 2023 | Q2 2024 | Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees reporting earning less than National Minimum Wage | 8.8 | 14.7 | 17.4 | 15.7 | 18.6 |
| Employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage | 20.2 | 25.4 | 25.5 | 26.1 | 28.5 |
| Total employees reporting earning National Minimum Wage or less | 29.0 | 40.2 | 42.9 | 41.8 | 47.1 |
| Employees reporting earning more than National Minimum Wage | 15.9 | 28.3 | 30.9 | 27.9 | 21.6 |
| Not stated | * | [6.6] | [5.8] | * | [5.9] |
| Total employees | 50.0 | 75.1 | 79.6 | 74.6 | 74.6 |
Data may be subject to future revision.
Estimates for number of persons, where there are less than 30 persons in a cell, are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables. Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses. In the case of rates, these limits apply to the denominator used in generating the rate. In the case of annual changes, both the current year and the preceding year are taken into account when deciding whether the estimate should be suppressed or flagged as having a wider margin of error.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values or estimates of change.
Reference period: Q2 Apr-Jun
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