1132.0 - Directory of Transport Statistics, 2000  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/08/2006  Final
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Contents >> Labour >> Wage Cost Index

Wage Cost Index

Name of Collection
Wage Cost Index


Contact

Manager
Labour Cost Index WA
Australian Bureau of Statistics
GPO Box K881
PERTH WA 6842


Telephone: 08 9360 5151
Facsimile: 08 9360 5954
Email:
client.services@abs.gov.au
Internet:
www.abs.gov.au

Purpose

To provide a key measure of the changes over time in the price of labour. The survey results are used in formulating industrial relations and wages policies, economic analysis and contract adjustment.


Description

The WCI measures changes over time in wage and salary rates of pay for employee jobs which would not reflect changes in the composition of the labour force, numbers of jobs, hours worked or changes in characteristics of employees and their career paths.


The usefulness of index numbers stems from the fact that index numbers for any two periods can be used to directly calculate the change or movement in hourly rates of pay between the two periods. These movements can be compared within States, sectors, industries or occupations. Index numbers cannot be compared across States as they do not provide comparative information on levels of hourly rates of pay. Similarly, index numbers cannot be compared across sectors, industries or occupations.

Sample design:
A two-stage sampling procedure is used to generate a sample of employee jobs for the WCI. In the first stage of sampling, a random sample of approximately 4,100 public and private sector businesses are selected from the ABS Business Register. In the second stage of sampling, a random sample of approximately 19,000 employee jobs is selected from the payrolls of the selected businesses.

For more details see the explanatory notes.

Data Detail

Published Indexes:

  1. Indexes of total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses, Sector by industry (ANZSIC Division), Sector by occupation
  2. Indexes of ordinary time hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses, Sector by industry (ANZSIC Division), Sector by occupation
  3. Indexes of hourly rates of pay including bonuses, Sector
    Unpublished Indexes
    1. Indexes of total hourly rates of pay including bonuses
    2. Indexes of ordinary time hourly rates of pay including bonuses.

    Geographic Coverage

    Australia, States and Territories.


    Frequency of Data
    Availability
    Quarterly


    Historical Data

    Data is available from the quarter ending December 1997.(The reference base quarter is the quarter ending September 1997 where the index value = 100.0).

    For historical series please see Award Rates of Pay Indexes (cat. no. 6312.0) 1939-1997. Please note redefined series.


    Products and Services

    Publications
    Wage Cost Index, Australia (cat. no. 6345.0)
    Information Paper: Wage Cost Index, Australia 2000 (cat. no. 6346.0)
    Other
    Special data services are available on request.

    Example of Information Available






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