Fresh figures from a new workplace study have put low earnings back at the centre of Media News Ireland, revealing a stark reality for thousands of workers across the country. The report shows that women make up roughly two-thirds of people on low pay, while insecure hours in retail and hospitality are leaving many employees short of what they need for a basic standard of living.
The findings, drawn from the latest Working in Ireland research by academics linked to UCD School of Business and NERI, suggest that the low-pay challenge goes beyond headline hourly rates. For many workers, the issue is not simply what they are paid per hour, but whether they can get enough hours in the week to earn a real living wage.
Media News Ireland: What the workplace report found
The research paints a clear picture of who is most exposed to low pay in Ireland. Women, younger workers and older workers are all disproportionately affected, with retail, hospitality and food services standing out as the sectors under greatest strain.
- Women account for around two-thirds of low-paid workers.
- Workers aged 16 to 24 make up about one-third of the low-paid workforce.
- Hospitality, food services and retail represent the largest concentration of low-paid jobs.
- Health and social care, along with manufacturing, also feature prominently.
- Many low-paid workers earn above the national minimum wage but still fall below a real living standard because of limited weekly hours.
That distinction matters. According to the study, a large majority of workers classified as low paid are not necessarily earning below the legal wage floor. Instead, they are struggling because their shifts are too short, too irregular or too difficult to rely on from week to week.
Why hours matter as much as hourly pay
One of the report’s most important findings is that low pay in modern Ireland is often driven by underemployment. In other words, workers may be willing to take on more hours, but the structure of their job does not allow them to earn enough across the week.
This is especially common in retail and hospitality, where variable schedules, part-time contracts and seasonal demand can make income unpredictable. For workers trying to cover rent, transport, food and utilities, that instability can be just as damaging as a low hourly wage.
In practical terms, the study found that many workers earning more than the statutory minimum wage still do not reach the level considered necessary for a minimum essential standard of living. That benchmark is often measured against Ireland’s commonly cited living wage, which has recently stood above the national minimum wage.
A problem hidden in plain sight
For employers and policymakers, the message is straightforward: raising the minimum wage helps, but it does not fully solve the low-pay problem. A worker can be paid above the legal minimum and still remain financially squeezed if weekly hours are too low to produce sustainable earnings.
This is a point increasingly echoed across Media News coverage of labour trends, where job quality, predictability and progression are becoming just as important as base pay.
Women bear the heaviest burden
The gender split is among the most striking elements of the report. Women remain significantly more likely to be in low-paid work, reflecting their strong representation in sectors such as retail, care and hospitality.
That matters not only for individual workers but for broader economic equality. If low-paid sectors are heavily feminised, then weak hours, limited progression and poor access to training can deepen long-term income gaps.
In the wider context of News Ireland, this is more than a workforce statistic. It speaks to how the labour market values service work, care work and customer-facing roles that are essential to the economy but too often poorly rewarded.
Younger and older workers also at risk
The report found that workers at both ends of the age spectrum are especially vulnerable. Younger employees are frequently concentrated in entry-level service jobs, while older workers can also find themselves in low-hour roles with little room for progression.
For both groups, the challenge is compounded when jobs do not offer meaningful skills development or access to new workplace technologies.
Graduates are not immune
Another notable finding is the presence of graduates within the low-paid workforce. Researchers said graduates make up the largest single cohort among low-paid workers, though this partly reflects the fact that graduates now represent a large share of the Irish labour market overall.
Still, the data underlines a growing concern: qualifications alone do not guarantee decent pay or secure working conditions. In today’s labour market, progression depends not only on education but on sector, contract type, hours and the availability of training.
That angle will resonate with readers tracking Media Digest updates on employment, skills and post-pandemic workplace change.
What workers say about the job itself
Despite financial pressure, many low-paid workers still report a strong sense of purpose in their roles. The study found large numbers feel they are doing useful work, while many also say they are enthusiastic about their jobs and feel they belong in their workplace.
That makes the findings even more telling. The issue is not a lack of commitment from staff. It is that too many essential jobs offer limited training, weak development opportunities and little exposure to technology that could help people move into better-paid roles.
From an Agency News Ireland perspective, that raises a pressing business question: how can employers improve retention and workforce stability if pathways upward remain so narrow?
The policy takeaway for business and government
The report strongly suggests that wage policy alone is not enough. A higher minimum wage can lift some workers, especially those whose hourly rate is the central problem. But for many others, reform must go further.
Key pressure points include:
- More predictable weekly hours.
- Better access to in-work training and upskilling.
- Clearer progression routes in retail, hospitality and care roles.
- Improved job design that allows workers to build sustainable earnings.
Those points are likely to feed into ongoing debates in Corporate News Ireland around labour shortages, productivity and the quality of jobs being created in service-led sectors.
As one of the report’s core arguments makes clear, improving low pay means looking beyond the hourly rate and examining the broader conditions of work. For businesses, that may mean confronting long-standing dependence on short-hour, low-development roles. For government, it may mean linking wage policy with stronger protections around hours and progression.
Conclusion
This latest Media News Ireland snapshot delivers a sharp warning: low pay in Ireland is not confined to minimum-wage jobs, and it falls disproportionately on women and workers in customer-facing sectors. If the goal is a fairer labour market, the next step is not just higher hourly pay, but more secure hours, stronger training and real pathways to advancement. That is the takeaway employers, policymakers and anyone following workplace change in Ireland should not ignore.
