Score
improved

2024 Score

86

2022 Score

83.5

2020 Score

81

Rating

Approaching Access to Decent Work

Fair
Wages

40

Decent
Working Hours

100

Employment
Security

40

Family
Responsibilities

100

Maternity
at Work

80

Safe
Work

100

Social
Security

100

Fair
Treatment

100

Child &
Forced Labour

100

Freedom of
Association

100

Fair Wages - 40

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the legislation or collective negotiation set and determine the minimum wages in the country? Yes 1 §14-17 of National Minimum Wage Act 2000
No Change
Does the law require regular and timely payment of wages? Yes 1 Payment of Wages Act 1991
No Change
Does the law require overtime compensation to be at least 125% of the regular hourly rate? No 0 §18 of the Organization of Working Time Act, 1997
No Change
Does the law require any additional compensation for working on a weekly rest day? No 0 S.14(1) of Organization of Working Time Act, 1997
No Change
Does the law require additional compensation for night work? No 0 §16 of the Organization of Working Time Act, 1997
No Change

Decent Working Hours - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law stipulate general weekly working hours as 48 hours or lower? Yes 1 §4(5), 5, 15(1) and 18 of the Organization of Working Time Act, 1997
No Change
Does the law restrict maximum working hours, including overtime, to 56 hours per week? Yes 1 §15(1) of the Organization of Working Time Act, 1997
No Change
Does the law require a paid weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours? Yes 1 §13 & 35(2) of the Organization of Working Time Act, 1997; §6 of the Protection of Young Persons Act, 1996
No Change
Does the law require paid public holidays? Yes 1 §21-22 of the Organization of Working Time Act, 1997
No Change
Does the law require at least three working weeks of paid annual leave? Yes 1 §19-20 of the Organization of Working Time Act, 1997
No Change

Employment Security - 40

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require a written employment contract or employment particulars to be given to a worker on commencement of employment? Yes 1 §15, 16, of the Employment (Miscellaneous Provision) Act 2018; §3 of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994
No Change
Does the law restrict the hiring of fixed-term contract workers? Yes 1 §9-10 of the Protection of Employees (Fixed Term) Work Act, 2003
No Change
Does the law limit the length of the probation period, including renewals, to three months? No 0 §6D of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994; §9A of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-term Work) Act 2003
No Change
Does the law require a 30-day notice period before employment contract termination? No 0 §4-8 of the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973
No Change
Does the law require severance pay at the rate of at least two weeks of wages for every year of service? No 0 §11 of the Redundancy Payments Acts of 1967-2007
No Change

Family Responsibilities - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require a four-month parental leave for parents? Yes 1 §6-9, Parental Leave Act 1998; §5, Parent's Leave & Benefit Act 2019; Family Leave & Misc. Provis. Act 2021
No Change
Does the law require at least one week of paid paternity leave for fathers*? Yes 1 §6 of the Social Welfare Act 2017; Paternity Leave & Benefit Act 2016
No Change
Does the law require flexible working arrangements* for workers with family responsibilities? Yes 1 Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (Amendment in Parental Leave Act)
Score improved due to a legislative reform
Does the law require paid nursing breaks? Yes 1 §15B of the Maternity Protection amendment Act 2004; §3-4 of the S.I. No. 654/2004
No Change

Maternity at Work - 80

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law prohibit inquiring about pregnancy during recruitment? No 0 No applicable legal provisions could be located
No Change
Does the law require maternity leave of at least 14 weeks? Yes 1 §8 - 16 of the Maternity Protection Act 1994
No Change
Does the law require cash maternity benefits to be at least two-thirds (66.67%) of a worker's former wage? Yes 1 §4 of the Social Welfare Act 2017; §6(1), 47-49 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005
No Change
Does the law require cash maternity benefits to be paid through a contributory social insurance or a universal benefits system or such benefits are an employer's liability? Yes 1 §4 of the Social Welfare Act 2017; §6(1), 47-49 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005
No Change
Does the law protect workers from dismissals during or on account of pregnancy? Yes 1 §23-24 of the Maternity Protection Act; §6 of the Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977
No Change

Safe Work - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require employers to provide free personal protective equipment to workers? Yes 1 §8 of the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005; S.I. No. 299/2007 on OSH
No Change
Does the law require employers to train workers on health and safety Issues? Yes 1 §10 of the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1993
No Change
Does the law restrict work that is prejudicial to the health of the mother or the child? Yes 1 Maternity Protection Acts 1994; Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Pregnant Employees etc.) Regulations S.I. No. 218/2000
No Change
Does the law provide for employment injury benefits in the event of an occupational accident or disease? Yes 1 §69-98 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005
No Change

Social Security - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law provide for an old age benefit? Yes 1 §108-117 & 152-160 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005
No Change
Does the law provide for survivors' benefits? Yes 1 §108-117 & 152-160 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005
No Change
Does the law provide for unemployment benefits? Yes 1 §62-68 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005
No Change
Does the law require paid sick leave (and sickness benefits) for the first six months of sickness? Yes 1 Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005; §5-7 of the Sick Leave Act, 2022
No Change
Does the law provide for invalidity benefits? Yes 1 §40-46 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005
No Change

Fair Treatment - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value? Yes 1 §6, 8, 19, 26 and 82 of the Employment Equality Act 1998-2015
No Change
Does the law prohibit sexual harassment in employment? Yes 1 §14A, 15, and 82 of the Employment Equality Acts; §78 of the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act 2005
No Change
Does the law prohibit discrimination in employment matters? Yes 1 §6, 8, 26 and 82 of the Employment Equality Acts
No Change
Does the law allow women to do the same job as men? Yes 1 No restrictive legal provisions could be located
No Change
Does the law guarantee basic labour protection to the platform workers? Yes 1 Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005
No Change

Child & Forced Labour - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law prohibit the employment of children? Yes 1 §3-6 of the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996
No Change
Does the law set employment entry age equal to or higher than the compulsory schooling age? Yes 1 §2 & Part III of Education Welfare Act, 2000
No Change
Does the law prohibit the employment of young persons in hazardous work under the age of 18 years? Yes 1 §5-10 of the Protection of (Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996
No Change
Does the law prohibit forced labour? Yes 1 Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008
No Change

Freedom of Association - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law allow workers to form and join unions of their own choice? Yes 1 §40 of the Irish Constitution 1937
No Change
Does the law allow workers to bargain collectively with employers through their representative unions? Yes 1 Sectoral Employment Orders under Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015; USDOS CRHRP 2023 (Ireland)
No Change
Does the law provide the right to strike? Yes 1 Part 2 of the Industrial Relations Act 1990; §5 of Unfair Dismissals Act 1977
No Change
Does the law prohibit imposing excessive sanctions against striking workers, including replacement of such workers? Yes 1 §5 of Unfair Dismissals Act 1977; S.I. No. 463/2015 - Industrial Relations Act 1990 (Code of Practice on Victimisation) (Declaration) Order 2015
No Change

*In order to measure the trend in country’s legislative performance over the last edition of the Labour Rights Index (2022), the following legend is used.

Score increase

Score decrease

Score adjustment

Methodological change

No change