National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Young Persons, Apprentices and Interns) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-17
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Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I congratulate Senator Cosgrove and her colleagues on bringing this Bill forward. They have put a lot into it and fair play to them. Unfortunately, I am opposing this Bill, but I think Senator Cosgrove is a great person. Well done to her.
In Ireland, the minimum wage framework reflects the realities of our labour market, particularly in sectors such as retail, hospitality, agriculture and leisure where young people often take their steps into employment. There are different rates of pay, as has been mentioned, from €9.45 for under-18s, up to €13.50 and then €14.15. For a 20-year-old working 40 hours a week, that equates to €28,000 at the moment and from January it will be €29,000. To put this wage in perspective, a nurse who graduates out of college will earn €30,000. Should a 16-, 17- or 18-year-old earn that? From 2020 to 2026, the minimum wage will have increased by 44%, which is a great thing. Over the same period, consumer prices increased by just 19.8%. Ireland has the second-highest minimum wage rate in Europe, after Luxembourg.
This debate is not about the worth of youth workers. As a business owner who has been hiring workers of all ages, it is an absolute privilege to hire young people. Why? It is because you see that nervous first-time worker blossom. The worker’s mam or dad generally hands in the CV. They are dropped in and picked up from work. They do a few hours on a Saturday and Sunday and, month-by-month, you see them thrive in their role and want to take on more responsibility. It is fantastic. However, that 16-year-old who has just started simply cannot do the work of the 19-year-old who has perhaps been with us or another business for over a year.
This debate is about recognising genuine differences in responsibilities, experience and contributions - differences that are especially clear in the agriculture, leisure, retail and hospitality sectors. For example, there are 326,000 people directly employed in retail. Employment in retail and wholesale declined by 17,200 in the year to quarter 4 of 2024. Employment in the retail sector specifically declined by 7,100. Retail businesses are under pressure. Each retail closure costs the State €6.2 million annually. A 20-year-old working in retail is far more likely to work full shifts, handle cash independently, manage stock, open and close stores and supervise younger staff during busy trading periods. While absolutely capable and willing, 16-year-olds are often legally restricted in the numbers of hours they can work and the types of duties they can carry out. They also require closer supervision. When my daughter reaches the age of 16 or 17, there is no way I will allow her to be left alone to open or close a shop. However, I would back her all the way to do it when she turns 19 or 20. In Ireland, under the Child Care Act 1991, the Children Act 2001 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18. What a child is allowed to do is restricted by their age. Workers aged 16 or 17 are classed as young persons.
This does not mean I do not think young people should work. In fact, it is quite the opposite. They should work and be rewarded for doing so. I started work at 13 and I have not stopped. It is important that young people go out to work and support themselves, learn the value of money and progress to earn more.
In the hospitality sector, the distinction is even clearer. Hotels, cafes and restaurants rely on staff who can work late nights, weekends and peak seasonal hours. A 20-year-old can legally serve alcohol, work unsocial hours and take on greater responsibility during high-pressure service periods; a 16- or 17-year-old cannot. Paying both the same ignores these operational realities.
In the agriculture sector, younger workers often engage in seasonal or part-time roles that are carefully structured around school communities. Older workers are more likely to operate machinery, work longer days and take responsibility for animal welfare, health and safety, compliance and independent decision-making - duties that rightly attract higher pay.
In the leisure and tourism sectors, 19- and 20-year-olds are more likely to be entrusted with customer safety, cash management, lone-working and emergency procedures in gyms, cinemas, amusement centres and visitor attractions. These are roles that require maturity, availability and accountability. In our business, someone who comes in at 16 will generally help with parties, become party hosts, supervise children playing and work on the floor. As they progress, they move to reception, help to prepare food, analyse figures, generate ideas for promotions, roster other staff and open and close the business.
Across all these sectors, employers invest significant time and resources in training young workers. Subminimum youth rates help offset those costs while keeping entry level jobs available. Without that flexibility, many businesses, particularly small local employers, would simply higher fewer younger people. Crucially, this system is about progression, not permanent inequality. Youth rates are designed to be temporary. In many cases, if you have a 16- or 17-year-old starting on the lower rate of 70% of the minimum wage, by the time they are 20, and if they are a really good worker, they will be on substantially more than the minimum wage because, as a sensible employer, you do not want to let that person go. Gone are the days when employers can take advantage of workers as we have implemented so many policies to protect them. In Ireland we have the second-highest minimum wage in Europe.
When it comes to apprentices, the Government's position is right. If we introduced higher minimum wages for apprentices, it would prevent many tradespeople from taking on apprentices. Apprentices come into a business to learn a life skill and become a specialist in their field, but only after they have completed their apprenticeship. You can become an apprentice through SOLAS at the age of 16, which is great, but you cannot become an apprentice in the Army or Air Corps until you are 18. You cannot join An Garda Síochána until 18. You cannot claim an employment benefit, such as jobsseekers' allowance, until you are 18. You cannot drive a car or drink, smoke, vape or gamble until you are 18. There is a reason for all of this.
As workers gain experience, complete training and reach adulthood, their pay increases accordingly and that is the right thing to do. Equality does not mean treating everyone identically; it means recognising difference fairly. Paying a 19-year-old more than a 16-year-old within the minimum wage framework reflects the realities of retail floors, hotel kitchens, farms and leisure facilities across the country. It supports employment, protects opportunity and recognises responsibility.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:28+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-17