AVERAGE WEEKLY earnings fell 1.4 per cent in the year to the third-quarter of 2010, as both average hourly earnings and average weekly paid hours declined, new data showed yesterday.

The average weekly wage now stands at €685.10, down from €694.69 a year earlier.

The decline was seen most in the education sector, where weekly earnings fell 12.3 per cent, and construction, where workers saw a drop of 6.2 per cent on average.

In the public sector, weekly earnings were 4.5 per cent lower, compared with 0.3 per cent in the private sector.

The larger decrease was attributed to the cut in public sector pay rates announced in the December 2009 budget.

It does not include the impact of the pension levy that came into effect in March 2009.

Average weekly paid hours were down 0.3 per cent to 31.9 in the third-quarter, following a similar decrease in the prior quarter.

The education sector saw the largest fall in paid hours, with a 7.6 per cent decline. The construction sector fell by 3.4 per cent.

The professional, scientific and technical working hours were down 2.5 per cent in the quarter. However, industrial working hours rose 4.4 per cent.

The rate of decline in the private sector showed signs of slowing, while the average weekly paid hours in the public sector remained at 31.9 hours.

The largest decrease in hourly earnings was recorded in administrative and support services, which fell by 7.1 per cent, and human health and social work, which declined by 6.7 per cent.

The largest rise was recorded in arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities, growing at 6.5 per cent.