Irish State funds €31.2 bn public wage bill in 2026

Ireland’s exchequer is funding 403,000 direct State employees and a €31.2 billion wage bill in 2026, Pat Leahy wrote in an Irish Times opinion article on Oct. 18.

The opinion article put those figures beside an average of €77,400 per employee after public-sector workers struck on Oct. 14, focusing the dispute on how any pay deal should treat lower-paid younger staff.

For schools, the article cited Department of Education data showing 43,451 primary teachers at the end of June and a €3.96 billion pay bill, or more than €91,000 on average. It also cited 35,707 secondary teachers and a €3.08 billion pay bill, or €86,000 on average, while giving OECD teacher-pay figures cited by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation of €70,629 for primary teachers and €69,747 for secondary teachers in 2025.

In health, the article cited just under 50,000 nurses and midwives with a €4.4 billion pay bill, averaging €88,000 a year, and 15,631 medical and dental staff with a €3.1 billion bill, averaging €198,000. It also cited Central Statistics Office data for gardaí in the second quarter showing €1,833.73 in average weekly earnings and 43.2 paid hours, with overtime identified as one reason.

The article quoted one striker on the picket lines asking, “What do they expect us to live on?” The same worker added, “Nobody can survive on the wages we’re getting.”

Leahy said the averages do not show typical earnings because seniority, overtime, allowances and grade mix affect the totals. The article also pointed to pensions, job security and automatic increments, meaning scheduled salary rises by service, as elements in the broader pay debate.

Leahy argued that younger public workers low on pay scales and facing high rents and housing costs, especially in Dublin, are under the greatest pressure. The article did not give a date for renewed talks or a proposed pay formula.

Source: opinion article, The Irish Times, Oct. 18, 2026.