Ireland
Ireland scores 2.13/6.0 on the OECD employment-protection strictness index.
Ireland scores 2.13/6.0 on the OECD employment-protection index - above the OECD average of about 2.0.
#4/101 · OECD 2.13/6 · B-READY 77.3. World Bank B-READY 2025 · OECD EPL.
Employment Protection Composite
One composite verdict from 2 of 3 independent sources, each percentile-benchmarked against every rated country. A missing source never lowers the score -- its weight redistributes to the sources this country actually has.
Benchmarked against p10-p90 of every country rated by that source. See our methodology for the exact benchmark table and weights.
What the Data Shows for Ireland
Europe. Covered by 2/3 tracked datasets. As an OECD member, it is included in the OECD's long-running historical EPL series. EU membership means its labor rules are also shaped by directives on collective redundancies, transfers of undertakings, and fixed-term work. B-READY 2025 labor score: 77.3/100, comparatively strong. The OECD EPL overall strictness index is 2.13/6.0, where higher values indicate stricter rules on individual and collective dismissal.
Dismissal process: ~4.6 weeks, middling. No 3rd-party approval required for individual dismissal.
Labor disputes here resolve relatively quickly, averaging 1.4 months through formal channels. A moderate share of firms, 5.1% in the World Bank's survey, report experiencing a labor dispute. Employer social contributions are substantial here, 15.7% of salary, a significant cost layer beyond base pay. Historically, Ireland's OECD EPL score moved from 1.27 in 1990 to 2.13 in 2019, showing the direction of reform over time. 6 peer comparisons below.
Labor Regulation Quality
Source: World Bank Business Ready 2025 Pillar scores are 0-100 (higher = better regulation quality)
Historical Protection Score
| Year | Overall Score | Visual |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.27 | |
| 1991 | 1.27 | |
| 1992 | 1.27 | |
| 1993 | 1.27 | |
| 1994 | 1.27 | |
| 1995 | 1.27 | |
| 1996 | 1.27 | |
| 1997 | 1.27 | |
| 1998 | 1.27 | |
| 1999 | 1.27 | |
| 2000 | 1.27 | |
| 2001 | 1.27 | |
| 2002 | 1.27 | |
| 2003 | 1.27 | |
| 2004 | 1.27 | |
| 2005 | 1.27 | |
| 2006 | 1.10 | |
| 2007 | 1.10 | |
| 2008 | 1.10 | |
| 2009 | 1.10 | |
| 2010 | 1.10 | |
| 2011 | 1.10 | |
| 2012 | 1.23 | |
| 2013 | 2.13 | |
| 2014 | 2.13 | |
| 2015 | 2.13 | |
| 2016 | 2.13 | |
| 2017 | 2.13 | |
| 2018 | 2.13 | |
| 2019 | 2.13 | |
Scale: 0-6 (higher = more protective). Source: OECD Employment Protection Legislation database.
Compare Ireland With...
Countries with similar labor-regulation profiles
Two peer sets for Ireland on metrics that vary across the full country corpus, not regional containment. The nearest EPLex block below stays on the ILO composite; these neighborhoods use B-READY, OECD, or statutory-duration axes.
Similar B-READY labor score
Nearest countries by World Bank B-READY labor regulation (77.3/100 here).
Similar OECD EPL strictness
Nearest countries by OECD employment-protection index (2.13/6 here).
Read with this Ireland page
Read with this Ireland roster
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from OECD, ILO, and World Bank labor market databases. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: ILO EPLex, World Bank B-READY, OECD EPL.
PlainEmploy is rendered directly from the OECD Employment Protection Legislation indicators, the ILO EPLex database, and the World Bank B-READY labor pillar, no number is typed in by an editor. This country's composite scores and comparisons are computed directly from the underlying OECD/EPLex/B-READY tables, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-30.