Survey Reveals Pay and Conditions in Small Firms
A survey on employment pay and conditions in 576 small companies employing 12,903 employees, released by the Small Firms Association on Monday, shows that 34% of those companies surveyed pay maternity benefit above Social Welfare while only 22% pay paternity benefit above Social Welfare.
The survey also showed that the average rates of basic pay varied from €429 per week (Care Assistant) to €767 per week (Electrician), while the respective range for salaried employees was €25,350 per annum (Junior Technician) to €89,616 per annum (Software Development Manager).
The six largest job title responses in the survey had the following rates of pay:
- Office Administrator – €30,057
- Financial Accountant – €51,523
- Sales Executive – €41,590
- Marketing Executive – €37,476
- Unskilled Operative – €29,013
- Skilled Operative – €32,245
The survey found that 15% of the workforce in the businesses surveyed earned up to €30,000 while 35% earned between €30,000-€40,000, 28% earned between €40,000-€50,000, and 22% earned €50,000 or more
“Over half the private sector workforce, some 800,000 people are employed in small firms (where the total number of employees is less than 50 people), and they are the biggest employer in 21 of the 26 counties,” SFA Director Patricia Callan said. “Our survey shows that they are offering attractive pay and conditions of employment and in 60% of companies, workers will receive on average a 2% pay increase this year. However, what is noticeable is the shift towards improving conditions of employment and other benefits rather than across the board pay rises. Most pay increases are productivity related and there is a notable increase in the percentage of companies offering non-pay benefits to employees such as sick pay, pension and health insurance schemes and top-up leave entitlements. The survey clearly indicates that employers have realised the benefits of assessing the overall remuneration package on offer, investing in employees through training opportunities, and meeting their requests for flexible working, rather than just increasing basic pay in order to retain and recruit top talent.”
In terms of non-pay benefits, the survey shows that 82% of firms provide or support formal training for their employees, 58% of small businesses have sick pay schemes, 65% of small businesses have pension schemes, 42% of small businesses have health insurance schemes and 55% offer flexible working arrangements, including part-time working, home working, flexitime and job sharing.
