The Government is being urged to do more to help increase wages and reduce the cost of living.

New figures show salaries here grew by 1.6% in real terms between 2007 and 2015 – significantly below the OECD average.

The research, by British Union the TUC, has found Ireland had the sixth lowest rate of increase out of 29 nations.

However the study covers the years that Ireland was in recession.

Stephen Donnelly of the Social Democrats said that while the figures are not surprising, they should prompt action.

“We tend to track the US and the UK, we tend to be about 10 years behind them,” he said.

“So whilst it’s not surprising to see very low wage growth, post a very serious recession, we need to be very mindful that we have to reverse that, that continued low wage growth is not an option, or we are going to see, I believe, social fracturing and some … extremism.”