6306.0 - Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2016  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/01/2017   
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ALL EMPLOYEES


Analysis of results for all employees provides an opportunity to compare broad earnings and employee characteristics by classifications of interest such as sex, method of setting pay, occupation, industry and sector, with the influence of compositional factors such as the proportion of part-time or casual employees. For example, an industry with low average weekly total cash earnings may have a high proportion of part-time or casual employees relative to other industries.


Key results by category

The diagram below shows for employees in scope of the May 2016 Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, the proportion of employees by category of employee.

Diagram shows for employees in scope of the May 2016 Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, the proportion of employees by category of employee




In May 2016 there were 10,147,000 employees, of whom 49.4% were male and 50.6% were female. Average weekly total cash earnings was $1,230.70 for all employees, $1,457.00 for male employees and $1,010.20 for female employees. The average age of all employees was 39.4 years.

Full-time employees made up 60.3% of all employees, had average weekly total cash earnings of $1,623.50 and had an average age of 40.5 years. Part-time employees accounted for 39.7% of all employees, had average weekly total cash earnings of $634.70 and had an average age of 37.7 years.

Male employees were predominantly full-time (75.2% of male employees). Full-time males had average weekly total cash earnings of $1,727.40 and an average age of 41.0 years. Part-time male employees had average weekly total cash earnings of $637.20 and were, on average, younger than full-time males with an average age of 35.3 years.

Graph Image for Average Weekly Total Cash Earnings, Employment status, May 2016


More female employees were employed part-time (54.3%) than full-time (45.7%). Average weekly total cash earnings was $1,456.90 for full-time females and $633.60 for part-time females. There was a smaller gap in the average ages of full-time females (39.8 years) and part-time females (38.8 years) than their male counterparts.

The majority of employees (77.4%) were employed on a permanent or fixed term basis. In May 2016, these employees had average weekly total cash earnings of $1,419.00. Average weekly total cash earnings was $1,634.20 for permanent or fixed term males and $1,193.40 for permanent or fixed term females.

Casual employees accounted for 22.6% of employees and had average weekly total cash earnings of $585.00. Male casual employees had average weekly total cash earnings of $735.00 and represent 19.7% of total male employees. Male casual employees had an average age of 33.6 years, younger than the average age of female casual employees (34.6 years). Female casual employees had average weekly total cash earnings of $471.40 and represent 25.4% of total female employees.

Graph Image for Average Weekly Total Cash Earnings, Employment type, May 2016


The majority of employees were aged 35 years and over (59.7%). Employees aged 20 years and under comprised 7.6% of all employees. Average weekly total cash earnings was highest for employees aged 45 to 54 years of age ($1,479.90) and lowest for employees aged 20 years and under ($342.30).

ALL EMPLOYEES, Average weekly total cash earnings, Number of employees - Age category, May 2016

AVERAGE WEEKLY TOTAL CASH EARNINGS ($)
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES ('000)

20 years and under
342.30
774.3
21 to 34 years
1 076.60
3 311.4
35 to 44 years
1 476.40
2 276.9
45 to 54 years
1 479.90
2 132.3
55 years and over
1 295.90
1 652.2
All ages
1 230.70
10 147.0




Occupation

Among major occupation groups, Managers had both the highest average weekly total cash earnings ($2,298.00) and the highest average age (45.7 years). Sales workers had the lowest average weekly total cash earnings ($652.20) and average age (32.7 years). Managers comprised 9.0% of all employees and Sales workers comprised 13.1% of all employees.

The largest proportion of employees were Professionals (21.5%) who received average weekly total cash earnings of $1,631.10 and had an average age of 40.9 years. The smallest proportion of employees were Machinery operators and drivers (6.6%) who received average weekly total cash earnings of $1,327.80 and had an average age of 43.7 years.


Industry

Average weekly total cash earnings was highest for employees in the Mining industry ($2,494.40), who represented 1.7% of all employees and had an average age of 40.8 years. The lowest average weekly total cash earnings was for employees in the Accommodation and food services industry ($548.40), who represented 7.6% of employees and had the lowest average age of all industries (28.8 years).

The largest proportion of employees were in the Health care and social assistance industry (12.8%), who received average weekly total cash earnings of $1,185.30 and had an average age of 42.7 years. Employees in the Transport, postal and warehousing industry had the highest average age (44.8 years).

Graph Image for Average Weekly Total Cash Earnings, Industry, May 2016


States and territories

The average weekly total cash earnings of all employees was highest in the Australian Capital Territory ($1,461.90). The average weekly total cash earnings of all employees was lowest in Tasmania ($1,041.00) and South Australia ($1,077.00).


Sector

Average weekly total cash earnings for all employees was higher in the public sector ($1,489.00) than in the private sector ($1,170.00). Private sector employees comprised 81.0% of all employees and public sector employees comprised 19.0% of all employees. The average age of public sector employees was 43.7 years, older than that of their private sector counterparts (38.4 years).


Method of setting pay

Employees on Award or Collective agreement accounted for 59.2% of all employees in May 2016. Employees paid by Individual arrangement accounted for 37.3% of all employees with the remaining 3.6% of employees being Owner managers of incorporated enterprises.

Employer Size

Businesses with under 20 employees employed almost a quarter (23.4%) of all employees other than Owner managers of incorporated enterprises, and almost half (48.3%) of employees paid at the apprentice or trainee rate. Average weekly total cash earnings for all rates of pay increased with employer size, being was lowest in businesses with under 20 employees ($908.30) and highest in businesses with 1,000 and over employees ($1,402.10).

DISTRIBUTION OF EARNINGS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

Weekly total cash earnings, Employment status

Median weekly total cash earnings was $1,421.00 for all full-time employees paid at the adult rate of pay, and $1,398.00 for all full-time employees. The lowest paid 10% of all full-time employees paid at the adult rate of pay received weekly total cash earnings of $866.00 or less, and the highest paid 10% received $2,638.00 or more.

The inter quartile range (i.e. the middle 50%) of weekly total cash earnings for all full-time employees paid the adult rate was from $1,058.00 to $1,950.00 or for all full-time employees was from $1,038.00 to $1,923.00.

Median weekly total cash earnings for all part-time employees was $540.00. One in 10 part-time employees received weekly total cash earnings of $124.00 or less, and one in 10 part-time employees received $1,209.00 or more.

ALL EMPLOYEES, Distribution of weekly total cash earnings - Employment status, May 2016

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES
FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES
PART-TIME EMPLOYEES
ALL EMPLOYEES
Paid at
the adult rate of pay
Total
Total
Total

ESTIMATE

WEEKLY TOTAL CASH EARNINGS ($)(a)
Deciles and quartiles
10th Percentile
866.00
836.00
124.00
278.00
20th Percentile
1 000.00
970.00
220.00
520.00
25th Percentile (1st quartile)
1 058.00
1 038.00
279.00
636.00
30th Percentile
1 132.00
1 105.00
332.00
731.00
40th Percentile
1 261.00
1 243.00
430.00
898.00
50th Percentile (median) (2nd quartile)
1 421.00
1 398.00
540.00
1 056.00
60th Percentile
1 596.00
1 576.00
647.00
1 241.00
70th Percentile
1 826.00
1 800.00
760.00
1 461.00
75th Percentile (3rd quartile)
1 950.00
1 923.00
828.00
1 596.00
80th Percentile
2 117.00
2 107.00
914.00
1 759.00
90th Percentile
2 638.00
2 612.00
1 209.00
2 291.00
Average weekly total cash earnings
1 651.80
1 623.50
634.70
1 230.70

STANDARD ERROR

WEEKLY TOTAL CASH EARNINGS ($)
Deciles and quartiles
10th Percentile
4.90
6.00
5.30
12.90
20th Percentile
5.70
6.70
9.30
14.40
25th Percentile (1st quartile)
5.40
8.60
10.60
13.60
30th Percentile
7.20
7.80
10.70
13.50
40th Percentile
8.20
8.80
10.50
10.50
50th Percentile (median) (2nd quartile)
11.20
11.10
11.80
9.00
60th Percentile
11.40
13.40
9.30
12.00
70th Percentile
14.10
15.40
11.30
11.30
75th Percentile (3rd quartile)
14.90
14.30
13.40
12.70
80th Percentile
12.70
16.40
14.10
13.50
90th Percentile
26.10
23.10
23.70
23.70
Average weekly total cash earnings
13.20
13.00
10.60
12.40

(a) Percentiles are based on whole dollars only.