This ESRI study, funded by the Low Pay Commission, found that the 2016 increase in the Irish minimum wage reduced hourly wage inequality between high and low earners by up to 8 per cent. However, there was no strong impact on the income of households.

The distribution of income differs in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Historically, Northern Ireland has been marked by lower levels of income and lower income inequality. The Gini coefficient, a widely used measure of income inequality which increases as income becomes more dispersed, has...