A survey of tradespeople has revealed that most earn significantly more than the average industrial wage. Bricklayers earned the highest weekly wage among the individual trades.
Although most of those surveyed worked within the usual 39- 40 hour week, one in five in electrical and construction crafts was working 50 hours or more a week.
The telephone survey of 1,000 individuals who started apprenticeships in 1999 was conducted between December 2006 and January of this year. The survey was conducted by a private company for Fás.
It reveals that the average gross weekly trade or crafts wage is €932, compared to the average gross industrial wage of €600.
However, 31 per cent of respondents refused to disclose their current level of income, but of the 61 per cent in construction crafts who provided income details, one in 10 said they earned more than €1,300 gross a week.
The survey says that bricklayers earned the highest weekly wage among the individual trades, at €865 net a week.
The average construction trades wage was €751 net and the average electrical trades wage was €712 net among qualified craftspeople. The average motor wage was €493 net.
At almost 30,000 individuals, the number of apprentices is at an all-time high. There are 26 trades in which an apprenticeship can be offered, broadly grouped into six trade families: electrical, construction, engineering, motor, furniture and printing. Apprenticeships consist of seven phases of training, both on and off the job.
Labour Party spokeswoman on education Jan O'Sullivan TD the generally high wages outlined in the survey were a positive development. "I would be concerned if people are only doing it because of a trend or high wages," she added. "They may find they are not suited to it."