New CSO figures have put a spotlight on a sharp divide in maternity supports across the workforce, a development likely to feature in breaking news ireland and wider ireland current affairs coverage. The latest data shows mothers in private-sector jobs are far less likely than public-sector workers to receive full pay during statutory maternity leave, raising fresh questions for ireland jobs news, ireland cost of living news and ireland government news.
Maternity pay gap exposed in new CSO analysis
The Central Statistics Office reviewed maternity and paternity leave trends from 2019 to 2025 and found a major difference in employer top-up support. While the State provides Maternity Benefit of €299 per week, whether a worker receives anything close to her normal salary often depends on her employer.
In 2024:
- 84.2% of public-sector mothers received income equivalent to their full salary
- Only 46.6% of private-sector mothers received the same level of support
- 19.4% of private-sector mothers received less than half of their previous wage
- 37.3% of private-sector employees got no employer top-up at all
By contrast, just 3.3% of public-sector workers received no employer contribution. For readers following ireland news today, the figures show how workplace benefits can vary dramatically depending on sector.
Which workers are most and least supported?
The data also highlights major differences by industry and company size, a theme relevant to ireland business news and ireland economy news.
Sector-by-sector breakdown
Workers in public administration and defence were the least likely to go without an employer top-up, at 3.4%. At the other end of the scale, 76.2% of employees in accommodation and food services received no top-up.
Meanwhile, information and communication employees were the most likely to receive top-up pay worth more than 90% of their pre-leave salary, at 21.7%.
Company size matters
Larger employers were much more likely to support staff financially during leave:
- 64.1% of employees in firms with one to nine workers got no top-up
- Only 9.8% of employees in businesses with 250 or more staff got no top-up
That gap is likely to feed into ongoing debate in ireland politics news and ireland national news about family supports, equality at work and retention in the labour market.
Fewer maternity claims, but parent’s leave is rising
The report found that 5.1% of female employees aged 15 to 44 started maternity benefit in 2024, down from 6.4% in 2019. The CSO linked the decline to falling birth rates and the increasing number of women in the workforce.
There was also growth in parent’s benefit uptake. Three out of four women who claimed maternity benefit also used parent’s leave, while 43.4% of paternity benefit claimants did the same. Paternity benefit uptake stood at 3.4% among men aged 15 to 44.
Conclusion
This breaking news ireland story underlines a persistent two-tier system in maternity pay. Public-sector workers are far more likely to receive full income support, while many private-sector mothers face a steep drop in earnings at a time of high household pressure. As ireland headlines continue to track workplace rights and family policy, this breaking news ireland update is a clear reminder that access to maternity support still depends heavily on where a woman works.
