Average Salary Info

[Guest mark78]

Recently I've noticed a few people asking about the average salary in Aus. I came across this article in the Sydney Morning Herald, which might shed some light on the topic...

 

 

Current as of 18 Aug 2005.

 

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that full time adult ordinary time earnings - effectively a person's pre-tax income without overtime - reached $1,008.30 during May.

 

That was up from $992.20 in February, and a full $55.20 a week better than the average rate back in May last year.

 

Over the past quarter, full time ordinary earnings grew 1.6 per cent. Over the full year they were up six per cent.

 

While the average across the workforce broke the $1,000 a week barrier, people in the public sector continue to do better than their private sector counterparts.

 

The average for the public sector was $1,092.10 a week, up 1.2 per cent for the quarter and 4.1 per cent for the year, while in the private sector the average was $982.70.

 

However, the rate of growth in the private sector is strong, at 1.6 per cent for the quarter and 6.6 per cent for the year.

 

The ACT ($1,167.40), Northern Territory ($1,020.30), Western Australia ($1,034) and NSW ($1,051.20) were the only places where the full time ordinary wage has gone past $1,000 a week.

 

Wages were up $30 a week in Queensland (to $993.80), $12 a week in South Australia (to $932.60) and $6 in Tasmania (to $890).

 

But they actually fell in Victoria, slipping slightly to $993.80 a week.

 

On the more general measure of average wages, which takes into account the pay rates of people in part-time and casual employment, there was an $8 increase to $792.50.

 

Over the past year, average wages have improved $43.70 from $749.20.

 

The figures show that three key parts of the economy drove the increase in wages.

 

Wages for cultural services sector workers soared 10.1 per cent over the past year to $1,063.20 a week, while for personal services wages rose 8.2 per cent to $973.70.

 

Construction workers have enjoyed a 9.2 per cent lift in wages to $996.80 a week. When overtime is taken into account, their wages have improved 11.8 per cent.

 

Other large rises were recorded in transport (up 7.3 per cent), property and business services (up 7.5 per cent) and education (up 5.6 per cent).

 

Mining workers continue to surpass the rest of the community when it comes to the best average wage.

 

Mining wages climbed 4.7 per cent over the full year to $1,581.30 a week, or more than $82,200 a year.

 

At the bottom of the pile are people in the accommodation, cafes and restaurants sectors, who are taking home around $36,500 a year.

 

The wages figures are important for the Reserve Bank as they give some pointer to possible inflationary pressures.

 

Commsec chief equities economist Craig James said workers had done quite well in recent years, enjoying a 16 per cent lift in wages while inflation was around eight per cent.

 

"Wages have outpaced prices by a substantial margin over the past three years, substantially boosting the purchasing power of Australian consumers," he said.

 

Mr James said much of the increase in wages was being driven by particular sectors where a shortage of skilled workers was starting to bite.