Ireland
Ireland is located in the eastern part of the North Atlantic and directly west of the United
Kingdom. It sits on the Europe continental shelf. Ireland is located on an island that is
70,280 square kilometers (Encyclopedia of the Nations) and has a population of 4,677,340
people (WPR). Of this population 2,170,984.05 are in the workforce. This is people age 15
or older and actively working or seeking work (Trading Economics). They have an
unemployment rate of 4%. Employers feel the pressure to offer competitive benefits in
order to recruit the best employees. Even with it being offered only 55-60% of the workers
take advantage of a pension plan. Ireland employers are bound by law to offer their
employees a non-contributory retirement accounts. Ireland only provides basic emergency
healthcare. If an employee makes an appointment with a doctor they are required to pay
for those services. 85% of employers in Ireland provide health care coverage for their
employees, 68% provide for their employees spouse and children, and 63% provide some
sort of employee assistance programs (Woods).
Ireland has different levels of minimum wage depending on the employee’s age and
employment status. An experienced adult worker will make a minimum of €8.65 per hour.
An employee over 19 who is in their second year of first employment will make €7.79 per
hour and an employee over 18 in their very first year of employment will receive €6.92 an
hour. Anyone under 18 years of age will make a minimum of €6.06 per hour (Money guide
