Average weekly earnings in the public sector jumped 5.5 per cent in the year up to the end of June, new figures reveal.
It comes a day after the Government called for workers to exercise wage restraint and just weeks after ministers accepted large pay hikes for themselves.
The average weekly salary for public servants - excluding the health service - peaked at almost €927 last June compared with €879 in June 2006.
This includes civil servants, gardai, the Defence Forces, local authorities and semi-state bodies, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Employment was also up by 10,700 in the sector over the same period.
A total of 365,600 were employed as of last June. The number of jobs in the Department of Education increased more than 5,000 from 91,700 to 97,000, while the Department of Health saw a 6,800 jump in staff bringing the June 2007 figure to 111,600.
In an address to the social partners yesterday, Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said a realistic approach to wage demands was essential if competitiveness and living standards could be maintained.
Mr Ahern told the same meeting that in recent months the economic outlook had changed and that forecasts for economic growth had been lowered.
But he defended the recent ministerial and top public servant pay hikes which will see his own annual salary jump by €38,000, making him one of the top paid leaders in Europe.