The average Australian weekly wage for a full-time worker comes to just under $2000, new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed.
But growth is slowing, with wages in the six months to May this year lifting 1.8 per cent, compared to 2.8 per cent in the six months to November 2023.
It meant that in May, the average full-time wage was $1923.40 a week, before tax.
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“While growth in average weekly earnings slowed over the first half of 2024, we still saw relatively strong annual growth to May 2024 of 4.6 per cent, or an extra $85 a week,” ABS head of labour statistics Kate Lamb said.
“This was slightly higher than the 4.5 per cent or $81 in the year to November 2023.”
Lamb said wages in both public and private sectors had grown by 4.6 per cent annually.
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Meanwhile, the gender pay gap shrank a little further, from 12 per cent in November last year, to a “record low” of 11.5 per cent in May. It was the fourth biannual drop in a row.
The shrinking gap has been driven by pay increases in education and training industries.
Workers were paid most per week on average in the Australian Capital Territory ($2132), followed by Western Australia ($2094).
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The lowest wages were in Tasmania ($1711) and South Australia ($1777).
Across industries, mining stayed at the top of the pile, with a $3015 weekly wage.
IT and telecommunications ($2437) followed, with financial and insurance services ($2283) third.
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The lowest paid full-time workers on average were in accommodation and food services ($1421) and retail trade ($1454).
Average earnings for part-time employees also saw strong growth over the past year, reflected in average earnings for all employees rising by 5.8 per cent in May 2024.
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