New figures have revealed the average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults in Australia in May 2019.
New Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show that the average Australian makes $1,643 per week.
It’s a $27 a week increase on the previous six months, equating to an improvement of 1.7 per cent, and means the average weekly pay has seen a $48 increase.
It means weekly wages have seen a 3 per cent growth in the last 12 months.
ABS chief economist Bruce Hockman noted the unique market environment that’s recently been impacting Australians’ wages.
“This latest data comes after a period of low growth in average weekly earnings, which partly reflected the growing number of lower-earning workers in the services sector, including aged care, childcare and disability care workers,” he said.
State by state
Over the past five years, average full-time earnings remained highest in the ACT ($1,811) and Western Australia ($1,780), and lowest in Tasmania ($1,420) and South Australia ($1,475).
The highest increases in average full-time earnings over the five years was seen in the Northern Territory (18.1 per cent) and Victoria (16.0 per cent), which have both recorded growth well above the average increase Australia-wide, which sits at 12.3 per cent.
Public versus private sector
The public sector has outshined the private sector, with the average public sector worker making almost $200 a week more than their private sector counterparts.
Public sector workers take home an average weekly pay of $1,785.40, in comparison with private sector employees who are taking home, on average, $1,594.70.
Highest average by industry
In May 2019, employees in the mining industry boasted the highest full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings across all industries.
The average mining employee’s take-home pay is $2,573.00.
On the lower end of the spectrum, the industry with the lowest earnings was the accommodation and food services industry, with the average full-time worker pocketing $1,162.40.
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