Public-Private Wage Differentials in Ireland, 1994-2001

Are public sector workers in Ireland paid more than private sector employees, when such differences in productivity-related personal attributes and job characteristics are controlled for? The authors estimate that in 2001 the premium enjoyed by public servants was about 13 per cent. They find that the premium, is significantly bigger for those near the bottom of the earnings distribution than for those near the top, was significantly bigger for women than men in the mid-1990s but not at the end of the 1990s, and does not vary significantly across different levels of educational attainment.