Minimum wage in Ireland increased to €9.55 an hour

The Minimum Wage in Ireland was increased on January 1st 2018. The new minimum wage is €9.55 an hour (was €9.25) The Low Pay Commission recommended in June 2017 ,  that the National Minimum Wage for an experienced adult worker should increase to  €9.55 per hour. (The increase was only supported by six of the nine Commission members.) This  change to the minimum wage works out as an increase of 3.2%  on the current rate of €9.25 per hour. The minimum wage for an experienced adult worker has increased by  10.5% since 2015 – when the minimum wage was €8.65 per hour. It is estimated that about 10% of employees in Ireland are on the minimum wage (about 155,000 people) See the 

These are the rates of the Minimum Wage that apply from January 2018

• Experienced adult worker €9.55 per hour
• Over 19 and less than 2 years since first job  €8.60 per hour.
• Over 18 and less than 1 years since began first  job  €7.64   per hour.
• Aged under 18   €6.69 per hour

(An experienced adult worker –  for the purposes of the National Minimum Wage Act –  is an employee who has an employment of any kind in any 2 years over the age of 18.) For example:  A 19 year old gets his first job on June 1st 2018 – he is entitled to €7.64 an hour. He won’t be entitled to €8.60 an hour until June 1st 2019 – the first anniversary of his first job. He won’t be entitled to €9.55 an hour until June 1st 2020 – the second anniversary of his first job.  It doesn’t matter how long he worked in each job or if there were gaps in employment. Source: