HOW WE SAW OUR EARNINGS CRASH

The recent financial crisis saw the biggest drop in real weekly earnings since the World War Two. Income fell by 4%, from €642 in 2008 to €616 in 2011, according to CSO statistics. This was the biggest fall since pay dropped by over a fifth during the 1939-1943 period. However, between 1938 and 2015, real earnings grew by 319%, according to the CSO data.