Almost a third of the labour force is employed in retail and manufacturing, according to the latest figures released by the National Statistics Office.
While the wholesale and retail sector employs 27,785 people, manufacturing employs 26,427, underlining the importance of both sectors to the job market.
The third largest sector is health and social work where 14,755 people earn a living, followed by education where 13,948 are employed.
In contrast, the financial intermediation sector, which includes banks and financial institutions, employs 5,875 people although it recorded the highest average gross annual salary.
Average earnings across the board, excluding bonuses and overtime, stood at €14,408.
The services’ sector, which includes online gambling companies, employs fewer than 8,000 people. Hotels and restaurants employ 12,150 people while the construction industry employs 11,266.
The figures from the Labour Force Survey for the second quarter show there were 165,443 people in employment, or 56 per cent of the workforce.
At the end of June, unemployment stood at 12,089, a rate of 6.8 per cent. Most unemployed were aged between 15 and 24, followed by those in the 45-54 age group.
Employment among working age men stood at 74 per cent while that for women stood at a measly 38 per cent.
According to the survey there were 174,474 inactive people, which include children, students and pensioners.
Manufacturing activities employed the largest proportion of working men, with 18 per cent, while the largest proportion of women was employed in the education sector.
Full-time employees accounted for 88 per cent of all those employed, while 19,732 were part-timers or working full-time with reduced hours.