Employment Group IBEC has published its submission to Low Pay Commission which sets out why it’s opposed to an increase in the national minimum wage.

It argues that the labour market remains weak and that any increase in the minimum wage would have a disproportionate effect on wage demands further up the scale in vulnerable sectors such as retail and food processing.

The group also says that Ireland's minimum wage is already high by international standards, that the country's economic recovery still not benefiting all regions, and that there are currently no cost of living pressures to justify an increase.

IBEC chief economist Fergal O'Brien has suggested that increases in minimum wages could lead to jobs being lost:

"We think it would be inappropriate at the moment to increase the minimum wage, because it would really force up other wages right across the economy, and would ultimately cost competitiveness, and cost jobs."

However, there is evidence of growing vitality in the labour market. According to the latest Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor, there’s been a 40 percent increase in job opportunities for professionals in Ireland over the past year while the online recruitment firm, Indeed is hiring an additional 30 staff in Dublin to support growing employment demand from SMEs specifically.