Wage Price Index, Australia

Latest release

The WPI measures changes in the price of labour, unaffected by compositional shifts in the labour force, hours worked or employee characteristics

Reference period

December 2024

Released

19/02/2025

Key statistics

The seasonally adjusted Wage Price Index (WPI) rose 0.7% this quarter.
Over the twelve months to the December quarter, the WPI rose 3.2%.
The private sector rose 0.7% and the public sector rose 0.6%, seasonally adjusted, for the quarter.
In original terms, the largest industry contributors to quarterly wages growth were Health care and social assistance (+0.6%), Manufacturing (+1.0%), and Construction (+0.7%).

Main features

All sector WPI, quarterly and annual movement (%), seasonally adjusted (a)
	Quarterly (%)	Annual (%)
Dec-05	1.0	4.1
Mar-06	1.0	4.1
Jun-06	1.0	4.0
Sep-06	0.9	4.0
Dec-06	1.1	4.1
Mar-07	1.0	4.0
Jun-07	1.1	4.1
Sep-07	1.1	4.3
Dec-07	0.8	4.0
Mar-08	1.0	4.1
Jun-08	1.1	4.2
Sep-08	1.1	4.2
Dec-08	0.9	4.3
Mar-09	0.9	4.1
Jun-09	0.8	3.8
Sep-09	0.4	3.0
Dec-09	0.8	2.9
Mar-10	1.0	3.0
Jun-10	0.8	3.0
Sep-10	1.1	3.6
Dec-10	1.0	3.9
Mar-11	0.9	3.9
Jun-11	0.7	3.8
Sep-11	0.8	3.6
Dec-11	1.0	3.6
Mar-12	1.0	3.6
Jun-12	0.9	3.8
Sep-12	0.8	3.8
Dec-12	0.7	3.4
Mar-13	0.7	3.1
Jun-13	0.6	2.8
Sep-13	0.6	2.6
Dec-13	0.7	2.6
Mar-14	0.8	2.7
Jun-14	0.5	2.6
Sep-14	0.6	2.6
Dec-14	0.6	2.5
Mar-15	0.6	2.3
Jun-15	0.5	2.3
Sep-15	0.6	2.3
Dec-15	0.5	2.2
Mar-16	0.5	2.1
Jun-16	0.5	2.1
Sep-16	0.4	1.9
Dec-16	0.5	1.9
Mar-17	0.6	1.9
Jun-17	0.5	1.9
Sep-17	0.5	2.0
Dec-17	0.6	2.1
Mar-18	0.5	2.0
Jun-18	0.6	2.1
Sep-18	0.6	2.3
Dec-18	0.5	2.3
Mar-19	0.5	2.3
Jun-19	0.6	2.3
Sep-19	0.5	2.2
Dec-19	0.5	2.2
Mar-20	0.5	2.2
Jun-20	0.2	1.8
Sep-20	0.1	1.4
Dec-20	0.5	1.3
Mar-21	0.7	1.5
Jun-21	0.5	1.8
Sep-21	0.4	2.2
Dec-21	0.7	2.4
Mar-22	0.7	2.4
Jun-22	0.9	2.7
Sep-22	0.9	3.2
Dec-22	0.8	3.3
Mar-23	1.0	3.7
Jun-23	0.8	3.6
Sep-23	1.3	4.0
Dec-23	1.0	4.2
Mar-24	0.8	4.0
Jun-24	0.9	4.1
Sep-24	0.9	3.6
Dec-24	0.7	3.2

All sector WPI, quarterly and annual movement (%), seasonally adjusted (a)

["","Quarterly (%)","Annual (%)"]

[["Dec-05","Mar-06","Jun-06","Sep-06","Dec-06","Mar-07","Jun-07","Sep-07","Dec-07","Mar-08","Jun-08","Sep-08","Dec-08","Mar-09","Jun-09","Sep-09","Dec-09","Mar-10","Jun-10","Sep-10","Dec-10","Mar-11","Jun-11","Sep-11","Dec-11","Mar-12","Jun-12","Sep-12","Dec-12","Mar-13","Jun-13","Sep-13","Dec-13","Mar-14","Jun-14","Sep-14","Dec-14","Mar-15","Jun-15","Sep-15","Dec-15","Mar-16","Jun-16","Sep-16","Dec-16","Mar-17","Jun-17","Sep-17","Dec-17","Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20","Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24"],[[1],[1],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[1.1000000000000001],[1.1000000000000001],[0.80000000000000004],[1],[1.1000000000000001],[1.1000000000000001],[0.90000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[0.80000000000000004],[0.40000000000000002],[0.80000000000000004],[1],[0.80000000000000004],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[0.69999999999999996],[0.80000000000000004],[1],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[0.80000000000000004],[0.69999999999999996],[0.69999999999999996],[0.59999999999999998],[0.59999999999999998],[0.69999999999999996],[0.80000000000000004],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998],[0.59999999999999998],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.5],[0.5],[0.40000000000000002],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.5],[0.5],[0.20000000000000001],[0.10000000000000001],[0.5],[0.69999999999999996],[0.5],[0.40000000000000002],[0.69999999999999996],[0.69999999999999996],[0.90000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[0.80000000000000004],[1],[0.80000000000000004],[1.3],[1],[0.80000000000000004],[0.90000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[0.69999999999999996]],[[4.0999999999999996],[4.0999999999999996],[4],[4],[4.0999999999999996],[4],[4.0999999999999996],[4.2999999999999998],[4],[4.0999999999999996],[4.2000000000000002],[4.2000000000000002],[4.2999999999999998],[4.0999999999999996],[3.7999999999999998],[3],[2.8999999999999999],[3],[3],[3.6000000000000001],[3.8999999999999999],[3.8999999999999999],[3.7999999999999998],[3.6000000000000001],[3.6000000000000001],[3.6000000000000001],[3.7999999999999998],[3.7999999999999998],[3.3999999999999999],[3.1000000000000001],[2.7999999999999998],[2.6000000000000001],[2.6000000000000001],[2.7000000000000002],[2.6000000000000001],[2.6000000000000001],[2.5],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2000000000000002],[2.1000000000000001],[2.1000000000000001],[1.8999999999999999],[1.8999999999999999],[1.8999999999999999],[1.8999999999999999],[2],[2.1000000000000001],[2],[2.1000000000000001],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[1.8],[1.3999999999999999],[1.3],[1.5],[1.8],[2.2000000000000002],[2.3999999999999999],[2.3999999999999999],[2.7000000000000002],[3.2000000000000002],[3.2999999999999998],[3.7000000000000002],[3.6000000000000001],[4],[4.2000000000000002],[4],[4.0999999999999996],[3.6000000000000001],[3.2000000000000002]]]

[]

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See Interpretation of index numbers, Percentage change and rounding on the Methodology page.

Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses
		Sep Qtr 2024 to Dec Qtr 2024(a) (% change)	Dec Qtr 2023 to Dec Qtr 2024(a) (% change)
Trend(b)	Australia	0.8	3.3
	Private sector	0.7	3.3
	Public sector	0.7	3.2
Seasonally Adjusted(c)	Australia	0.7	3.2
	Private sector	0.7	3.3
	Public sector	0.6	2.8
Original	Australia	0.7	3.2
	Private sector	0.7	3.4
	Public sector	0.8	2.9

See Interpretation of index numbers, Percentage change and rounding on the Methodology page.
See Interpretation of index numbers, Trend estimates on the Methodology page.
See Interpretation of index numbers, Seasonally adjusted indexes and Seasonal analysis methods on the Methodology page.

Overview

Seasonally adjusted, the WPI rose 0.7% this quarter. This was the equal lowest quarterly rise for the series since March quarter 2022. Annual wage growth was 3.2% in the December quarter, down from 3.6% in the September quarter.

Over the 12 months to December, private sector wages rose 3.3%. This was the lowest annual rise for the sector since June quarter 2022 (+2.7%).

The public sector annual rise of 2.8% was the lowest since December quarter 2022 (+2.5%).

Annual wage growth by sector, seasonally adjusted (a)
	Private (%)	Public (%)
Dec-09	2.6	4.1
Mar-10	2.6	4.3
Jun-10	2.8	4.0
Sep-10	3.5	4.0
Dec-10	3.8	4.0
Mar-11	4.0	3.6
Jun-11	3.8	3.7
Sep-11	3.7	3.3
Dec-11	3.8	3.2
Mar-12	3.7	3.1
Jun-12	3.9	3.3
Sep-12	3.7	3.4
Dec-12	3.4	3.3
Mar-13	3.2	3.1
Jun-13	3.0	2.8
Sep-13	2.8	2.6
Dec-13	2.5	2.7
Mar-14	2.6	2.9
Jun-14	2.4	2.8
Sep-14	2.4	2.7
Dec-14	2.5	2.7
Mar-15	2.2	2.5
Jun-15	2.2	2.5
Sep-15	2.1	2.7
Dec-15	2.0	2.6
Mar-16	2.0	2.5
Jun-16	2.0	2.4
Sep-16	1.9	2.3
Dec-16	1.8	2.3
Mar-17	1.8	2.3
Jun-17	1.8	2.5
Sep-17	1.9	2.4
Dec-17	1.9	2.4
Mar-18	1.9	2.4
Jun-18	2.1	2.3
Sep-18	2.1	2.6
Dec-18	2.3	2.5
Mar-19	2.4	2.4
Jun-19	2.3	2.7
Sep-19	2.2	2.4
Dec-19	2.2	2.2
Mar-20	2.1	2.3
Jun-20	1.8	2.1
Sep-20	1.2	1.8
Dec-20	1.3	1.6
Mar-21	1.5	1.5
Jun-21	1.9	1.3
Sep-21	2.3	1.7
Dec-21	2.4	2.1
Mar-22	2.4	2.2
Jun-22	2.7	2.4
Sep-22	3.4	2.4
Dec-22	3.6	2.5
Mar-23	3.8	2.9
Jun-23	3.9	3.1
Sep-23	4.3	3.5
Dec-23	4.2	4.3
Mar-24	4.2	3.8
Jun-24	4.1	3.9
Sep-24	3.5	3.7
Dec-24	3.3	2.8

Annual wage growth by sector, seasonally adjusted (a)

["","Private (%)","Public (%)"]

[["Dec-09","Mar-10","Jun-10","Sep-10","Dec-10","Mar-11","Jun-11","Sep-11","Dec-11","Mar-12","Jun-12","Sep-12","Dec-12","Mar-13","Jun-13","Sep-13","Dec-13","Mar-14","Jun-14","Sep-14","Dec-14","Mar-15","Jun-15","Sep-15","Dec-15","Mar-16","Jun-16","Sep-16","Dec-16","Mar-17","Jun-17","Sep-17","Dec-17","Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20","Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24"],[[2.6000000000000001],[2.6000000000000001],[2.7999999999999998],[3.5],[3.7999999999999998],[4],[3.7999999999999998],[3.7000000000000002],[3.7999999999999998],[3.7000000000000002],[3.8999999999999999],[3.7000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999],[3.2000000000000002],[3],[2.7999999999999998],[2.5],[2.6000000000000001],[2.3999999999999999],[2.3999999999999999],[2.5],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[2.1000000000000001],[2],[2],[2],[1.8999999999999999],[1.8],[1.8],[1.8],[1.8999999999999999],[1.8999999999999999],[1.8999999999999999],[2.1000000000000001],[2.1000000000000001],[2.2999999999999998],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[2.1000000000000001],[1.8],[1.2],[1.3],[1.5],[1.8999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[2.3999999999999999],[2.3999999999999999],[2.7000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999],[3.6000000000000001],[3.7999999999999998],[3.8999999999999999],[4.2999999999999998],[4.2000000000000002],[4.2000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996],[3.5],[3.2999999999999998]],[[4.0999999999999996],[4.2999999999999998],[4],[4],[4],[3.6000000000000001],[3.7000000000000002],[3.2999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002],[3.1000000000000001],[3.2999999999999998],[3.3999999999999999],[3.2999999999999998],[3.1000000000000001],[2.7999999999999998],[2.6000000000000001],[2.7000000000000002],[2.8999999999999999],[2.7999999999999998],[2.7000000000000002],[2.7000000000000002],[2.5],[2.5],[2.7000000000000002],[2.6000000000000001],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[2.3999999999999999],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[2.6000000000000001],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[2.7000000000000002],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2999999999999998],[2.1000000000000001],[1.8],[1.6000000000000001],[1.5],[1.3],[1.7],[2.1000000000000001],[2.2000000000000002],[2.3999999999999999],[2.3999999999999999],[2.5],[2.8999999999999999],[3.1000000000000001],[3.5],[4.2999999999999998],[3.7999999999999998],[3.8999999999999999],[3.7000000000000002],[2.7999999999999998]]]

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See Interpretation of index numbers, Percentage change and rounding on the Methodology page.

Wage growth by method of setting pay

Jobs in the Australian labour market have their method of setting pay categorised as:

Awards,
Enterprise agreements, or;
Individual arrangement.

Jobs covered by individual arrangement generally have wage changes that reflect prevailing labour market conditions. In December quarter 2024, there was a reduction in the contribution these jobs made to wage growth compared to recent December quarters.

The contribution to growth from enterprise agreements can vary from quarter to quarter depending on when agreements are formed, implemented and expire. The contribution that jobs covered by enterprise agreements made to wage growth in December quarter 2024 almost halved compared to the contribution that they made to December quarter 2023. The drivers for this fall were that increases from existing agreements were generally the same or smaller in size compared to 2023 and that some agreements that began this time last year have scheduled payment dates outside the December period.

Contributions to quarterly wage growth by method of setting pay, original (a)(b)(c)
	Enterprise Agreement	Individual Arrangement	Award
Dec-19	0.17	0.24	0.01
Mar-20	0.22	0.16	0.04
Jun-20	0.13	-0.11	0.01
Sep-20	0.23	0.17	0.05
Dec-20	0.14	0.28	0.07
Mar-21	0.2	0.22	0.11
Jun-21	0.09	0.19	0.01
Sep-21	0.32	0.41	0.17
Dec-21	0.22	0.3	0.13
Mar-22	0.2	0.28	0.01
Jun-22	0.18	0.36	0
Sep-22	0.36	0.75	0.41
Dec-22	0.27	0.42	0.15
Mar-23	0.34	0.37	0.02
Jun-23	0.22	0.35	0
Sep-23	0.66	0.74	0.63
Dec-23	0.45	0.39	0.12
Mar-24	0.21	0.34	0.02
Jun-24	0.23	0.32	0.01
Sep-24	0.46	0.59	0.36
Dec-24	0.26	0.33	0.02

Contributions to quarterly wage growth by method of setting pay, original (a)(b)(c)

["","Enterprise  Agreement","Individual Arrangement","Award"]

[["Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20","Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24"],[[0.17000000000000001],[0.22],[0.13],[0.23000000000000001],[0.14000000000000001],[0.20000000000000001],[0.089999999999999997],[0.32000000000000001],[0.22],[0.20000000000000001],[0.17999999999999999],[0.35999999999999999],[0.27000000000000002],[0.34000000000000002],[0.22],[0.66000000000000003],[0.45000000000000001],[0.20999999999999999],[0.23000000000000001],[0.46000000000000002],[0.26000000000000001]],[[0.23999999999999999],[0.16],[-0.11],[0.17000000000000001],[0.28000000000000003],[0.22],[0.19],[0.40999999999999998],[0.29999999999999999],[0.28000000000000003],[0.35999999999999999],[0.75],[0.41999999999999998],[0.37],[0.34999999999999998],[0.73999999999999999],[0.39000000000000001],[0.34000000000000002],[0.32000000000000001],[0.58999999999999997],[0.33000000000000002]],[[0.01],[0.040000000000000001],[0.01],[0.050000000000000003],[0.070000000000000007],[0.11],[0.01],[0.17000000000000001],[0.13],[0.01],[0],[0.40999999999999998],[0.14999999999999999],[0.02],[0],[0.63],[0.12],[0.02],[0.01],[0.35999999999999999],[0.02]]]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"percentage points (pp)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"-0.2","axis_max":"2.2","tick_interval":"0.2","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Analytical series is total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.
See Method used to calculate analytical series 'Contribution to wages growth by method of setting pay' on the Methodology page.
See Analytical series index numbers, Appendix B index numbers, methods of setting pay on the Methodology page.

Time since last pay change for jobs under individual arrangements

Comparing across December quarters, for jobs with wages set by individual arrangements that received a wage change in the quarter:

the proportion where the most recent wage change was 12 months ago has increased each year since December quarter 2021. Rising from 26% of these jobs in December 2021 to 58% in December 2024.
the proportion that received their last wage change less than 12 months ago has trended downwards since the peak in December 2021. Falling from 35% of jobs receiving a wage change in December 2021 to 21% in December 2024.

Time since last pay change for jobs under Individual arrangements, private sector
	Dec-19	Dec-20	Dec-21	Dec-22	Dec-23	Dec-24
less than 12 months	11	13	35	33	25	21
12 months	64	40	26	45	55	58
over 12 to 24 months	18	37	22	14	16	17
over 24 months	7	10	18	8	4	4

Time since last pay change for jobs under Individual arrangements, private sector

["","Dec-19","Dec-20","Dec-21","Dec-22","Dec-23","Dec-24"]

[["less than 12 months","12 months","over 12 to 24 months","over 24 months"],[[11],[64],[18],[7]],[[13],[40],[37],[10]],[[35],[26],[22],[18]],[[33],[45],[14],[8]],[[25],[55],[16],[4]],[[21],[58],[17],[4]]]

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Graph relates to jobs recording a pay rise in each December quarter.
Due to rounding components may sum to more than 100.

Sector wage growth

The private sector was the main contributor to wages growth, as is typical due to the overall number of employees and total wage expenditure compared to the public sector.

The public sector contributed a quarter of total wage growth, down from 34 per cent in December quarter 2023.

Public sector wage growth was lower in December quarter 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 due to a combination of:

wage increases for some public sector employees changing to other quarters outside of the December quarter,
expiry of enterprise agreements, and;
smaller increases paid under existing agreements.

Contributions to quarterly wage growth by sector, original
	Private	Public
Dec-18	0.36	0.15
Dec-19	0.34	0.10
Dec-20	0.42	0.06
Dec-21	0.45	0.16
Dec-22	0.64	0.18
Dec-23	0.63	0.33
Dec-24	0.48	0.16

Contributions to quarterly wage growth by sector, original

["","Private","Public"]

[["Dec-18","Dec-19","Dec-20","Dec-21","Dec-22","Dec-23","Dec-24"],[[0.35999999999999999],[0.34000000000000002],[0.41999999999999998],[0.45000000000000001],[0.64000000000000001],[0.63],[0.47999999999999998]],[[0.14999999999999999],[0.10000000000000001],[0.059999999999999998],[0.16],[0.17999999999999999],[0.33000000000000002],[0.16]]]

[]

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Quarterly wage dynamics

Quarterly wage dynamics, by sector, original (a)
		Dec Qtr 2023 (%)	Sep Qtr 2024 (%)	Dec Qtr 2024 (%)
All Sector	Percentage of jobs with a wage change	21	45	16
All Sector	Average hourly wage change	4.4	3.7	3.6
Private Sector	Percentage of jobs with a wage change	16	49	14
Private Sector	Average hourly wage change	4.4	3.9	3.7
Public Sector	Percentage of jobs with a wage change	38	30	23
Public Sector	Average hourly wage change	4.3	3.0	3.3

Average hourly wage change only includes jobs recording a wage movement in the current quarter.

Private sector

In original terms, private sector wages rose by 0.7%, the same as December quarter 2023.

In the private sector, 14% of jobs recorded a wage change, down from the 16% in December quarter 2023. This was the lowest proportion of jobs recording an hourly wage change in the private sector for a December quarter since 2019.

The average hourly wage change for private sector jobs has trended downwards since the peak reached in September quarter 2023 (+5.8%). The 3.7% recorded this quarter is the lowest average hourly wage change since March quarter 2022 (+3.4%).

Quarterly wage dynamics in the private sector, original (a)
	Average hourly wage change (%)	Proportion of jobs (%)
Dec-14	2.6	18
Mar-15	2.7	16
Jun-15	2.7	12
Sep-15	2.7	40
Dec-15	2.7	15
Mar-16	2.3	17
Jun-16	2.5	12
Sep-16	2.5	40
Dec-16	2.5	12
Mar-17	2.4	15
Jun-17	2.6	10
Sep-17	2.9	40
Dec-17	2.6	13
Mar-18	2.5	16
Jun-18	2.5	13
Sep-18	3.0	42
Dec-18	2.8	15
Mar-19	2.7	15
Jun-19	2.6	11
Sep-19	2.9	42
Dec-19	2.8	13
Mar-20	2.6	16
Jun-20	0.8	9
Sep-20	2.4	21
Dec-20	2.7	17
Mar-21	2.3	26
Jun-21	2.7	12
Sep-21	2.9	34
Dec-21	2.8	23
Mar-22	3.4	15
Jun-22	3.8	14
Sep-22	4.3	46
Dec-22	4.0	21
Mar-23	4.3	14
Jun-23	4.5	12
Sep-23	5.8	49
Dec-23	4.4	16
Mar-24	4.4	12
Jun-24	4.2	11
Sep-24	3.9	49
Dec-24	3.7	14

Quarterly wage dynamics in the private sector, original (a)

["","Average hourly wage change","Proportion of jobs"]

[["Dec-14","Mar-15","Jun-15","Sep-15","Dec-15","Mar-16","Jun-16","Sep-16","Dec-16","Mar-17","Jun-17","Sep-17","Dec-17","Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20","Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24"],[[2.6000000000000001],[2.7000000000000002],[2.7000000000000002],[2.7000000000000002],[2.7000000000000002],[2.2999999999999998],[2.5],[2.5],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[2.6000000000000001],[2.8999999999999999],[2.6000000000000001],[2.5],[2.5],[3],[2.7999999999999998],[2.7000000000000002],[2.6000000000000001],[2.8999999999999999],[2.7999999999999998],[2.6000000000000001],[0.80000000000000004],[2.3999999999999999],[2.7000000000000002],[2.2999999999999998],[2.7000000000000002],[2.8999999999999999],[2.7999999999999998],[3.3999999999999999],[3.7999999999999998],[4.2999999999999998],[4],[4.2999999999999998],[4.5],[5.7999999999999998],[4.4000000000000004],[4.4000000000000004],[4.2000000000000002],[3.8999999999999999],[3.7000000000000002]],[[18],[16],[12],[40],[15],[17],[12],[40],[12],[15],[10],[40],[13],[16],[13],[42],[15],[15],[11],[42],[13],[16],[9],[21],[17],[26],[12],[34],[23],[15],[14],[46],[21],[14],[12],[49],[16],[12],[11],[49],[14]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"proportion (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"50","tick_interval":"5","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"percentage","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"6","tick_interval":"0.5","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Average hourly wage change only includes jobs recording a wage movement in the current quarter.

Public sector

In original terms, public sector wages rose 0.8%, the same as September quarter 2024, however significantly lower than 1.5% in December quarter 2023.

Compared to the same period last year, the public sector saw a significant decrease in both the proportion of jobs that received a wage movement (23% compared to 38%) and the size of average hourly wage change (+3.3% to +4.3%). In 2023, stronger wage growth reflected changes to some state wage policies and implementation of new enterprise agreements. For December 2024, these same jobs, either saw smaller sized rises from existing agreements or did not contribute to wage growth, due to the timing of approval and registration of new enterprise agreements.

Quarterly wage dynamics in the public sector, original (a)
	Average hourly wage change (%)	Proportion of jobs (%)
Dec-14	2.5	33
Mar-15	2.1	32
Jun-15	2.1	17
Sep-15	2.4	41
Dec-15	2.6	20
Mar-16	2.2	26
Jun-16	2.2	11
Sep-16	2.5	35
Dec-16	2.5	25
Mar-17	2.4	26
Jun-17	2.5	14
Sep-17	2.5	34
Dec-17	2.7	26
Mar-18	2.2	25
Jun-18	2.2	18
Sep-18	2.3	41
Dec-18	2.2	32
Mar-19	2.1	20
Jun-19	2.6	25
Sep-19	2.3	30
Dec-19	2.1	22
Mar-20	2.4	24
Jun-20	2.2	18
Sep-20	1.8	23
Dec-20	1.8	14
Mar-21	2.0	23
Jun-21	2.0	10
Sep-21	2.1	34
Dec-21	2.2	34
Mar-22	2.1	27
Jun-22	2.4	17
Sep-22	2.3	30
Dec-22	2.8	29
Mar-23	3.0	38
Jun-23	3.0	15
Sep-23	3.3	34
Dec-23	4.3	38
Mar-24	2.9	18
Jun-24	3.8	19
Sep-24	3.0	30
Dec-24	3.3	23

Quarterly wage dynamics in the public sector, original (a)

["","Average hourly wage change","Proportion of jobs"]

[["Dec-14","Mar-15","Jun-15","Sep-15","Dec-15","Mar-16","Jun-16","Sep-16","Dec-16","Mar-17","Jun-17","Sep-17","Dec-17","Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20","Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24"],[[2.5],[2.1000000000000001],[2.1000000000000001],[2.3999999999999999],[2.6000000000000001],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[2.5],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[2.5],[2.5],[2.7000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2000000000000002],[2.1000000000000001],[2.6000000000000001],[2.2999999999999998],[2.1000000000000001],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2000000000000002],[1.8],[1.8],[2],[2],[2.1000000000000001],[2.2000000000000002],[2.1000000000000001],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[2.7999999999999998],[3],[3],[3.2999999999999998],[4.2999999999999998],[2.8999999999999999],[3.7999999999999998],[3],[3.2999999999999998]],[[33],[32],[17],[41],[20],[26],[11],[35],[25],[26],[14],[34],[26],[25],[18],[41],[32],[20],[25],[30],[22],[24],[18],[23],[14],[23],[10],[34],[34],[27],[17],[30],[29],[38],[15],[34],[38],[18],[19],[30],[23]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"proportion (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"45","tick_interval":"5","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"percentage","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"4.5","tick_interval":"0.5","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Average hourly wage change only includes jobs recording a wage movement in the current quarter.

Industry wage growth

The main contributors to wage growth reflect both the size of the industry (overall number of employees and total wage expenditure) and the size of any wage changes that occurred.

Health care and social assistance was the main contributor to wages growth.

Quarterly contribution - industries
	Quarterly contribution
Health care and social assistance	0.09
Manufacturing	0.07
Construction	0.06
Education and training	0.05
Professional, scientific and technical services	0.05
Public administration and safety	0.05
Retail trade	0.04
Transport, postal and warehousing	0.04
Wholesale trade	0.04
Financial and insurance services	0.04
Information media and telecommunications	0.03
Mining	0.03
Administrative and support services	0.01
Other services	0.01
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	0.01
Rental, hiring and real estate services	0.01
Arts and recreation services	0.01
Accommodation and food services	0.00

Quarterly contribution - industries

["","Quarterly contribution"]

[["Health care and social assistance","Manufacturing","Construction","Education and training","Professional, scientific and technical services","Public administration and safety","Retail trade","Transport, postal and warehousing","Wholesale trade","Financial and insurance services","Information media and telecommunications","Mining","Administrative and support services","Other services","Electricity, gas, water and waste services","Rental, hiring and real estate services","Arts and recreation services","Accommodation and food services"],[[0.089999999999999997],[0.070000000000000007],[0.059999999999999998],[0.050000000000000003],[0.050000000000000003],[0.050000000000000003],[0.040000000000000001],[0.040000000000000001],[0.040000000000000001],[0.040000000000000001],[0.029999999999999999],[0.029999999999999999],[0.01],[0.01],[0.01],[0.01],[0.01],[0]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"percentage points (pp)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"0.1","tick_interval":"0.01","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Original estimates:

Information, media and telecommunications industry recorded the highest quarterly rise (+1.4%).
Accommodation and food services industry recorded the lowest quarterly rise in wages (+0.1%).
Electricity, gas, water and waste services industry recorded the highest through the year wage growth (+4.7%).
Both the Professional, scientific and technical services and the Health care and social assistance industries recorded the lowest through the year growth (+2.8%).

Annual and quarterly movement - industries (a)
	Annual Change (%)	Quarterly Change (%)
Mining	3.5	1.0
Manufacturing	3.7	1.0
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	4.7	0.7
Construction	3.4	0.7
Wholesale trade	3.3	0.8
Retail trade	3.2	0.6
Accommodation and food services	3.3	0.1
Transport, postal and warehousing	3.8	0.9
Information media and telecommunications	3.3	1.4
Financial and insurance services	2.9	0.8
Rental, hiring and real estate services	3.1	0.5
Professional, scientific and technical services	2.8	0.5
Administrative and support services	3.6	0.3
Public administration and safety	3.0	0.7
Education and training	3.3	0.6
Health care and social assistance	2.8	0.6
Arts and recreation services	2.9	0.5
Other services	2.9	0.5
All industries	3.2	0.7

Annual and quarterly movement - industries (a)

["","Annual Change","Quarterly Change"]

[["Mining","Manufacturing","Electricity, gas, water and waste services","Construction","Wholesale trade","Retail trade","Accommodation and food services","Transport, postal and warehousing","Information media and telecommunications","Financial and insurance services","Rental, hiring and real estate services","Professional, scientific and technical services","Administrative and support services","Public administration and safety","Education and training","Health care and social assistance","Arts and recreation services","Other services","All industries"],[[3.5],[3.7000000000000002],[4.7000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999],[3.2999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002],[3.2999999999999998],[3.7999999999999998],[3.2999999999999998],[2.8999999999999999],[3.1000000000000001],[2.7999999999999998],[3.6000000000000001],[3],[3.2999999999999998],[2.7999999999999998],[2.8999999999999999],[2.8999999999999999],[3.2000000000000002]],[[1],[1],[0.69999999999999996],[0.69999999999999996],[0.80000000000000004],[0.59999999999999998],[0.10000000000000001],[0.90000000000000002],[1.3999999999999999],[0.80000000000000004],[0.5],[0.5],[0.29999999999999999],[0.69999999999999996],[0.59999999999999998],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.5],[0.69999999999999996]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"5","tick_interval":"0.5","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Index series is original, total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.

State and territory wage growth

The main contributors to state or territory wage growth reflect both the size (overall number of employees and total wage expenditure) and the size of any wage changes that occurred.

New South Wales was the main contributor to wages growth, primarily driven by jobs in the private sector.

Quarterly contribution - states and territories
	Quarterly contribution
NSW	0.19
VIC	0.18
QLD	0.13
WA	0.08
SA	0.04
TAS	0.01
NT	0.01
ACT	0.01

Quarterly contribution - states and territories

["","Quarterly contribution"]

[["NSW","VIC","QLD","WA","SA","TAS","NT","ACT"],[[0.19],[0.17999999999999999],[0.13],[0.080000000000000002],[0.040000000000000001],[0.01],[0.01],[0.01]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"percentage points (pp)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"0.2","tick_interval":"0.02","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Original estimates:

Northern Territory recorded the highest quarterly growth at 1.1%.
Both the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania recorded the lowest quarterly growth at 0.5%.
Tasmania recorded the highest annual growth at 3.9%.
New South Wales recorded the lowest annual growth at 2.9%.

Annual and quarterly movement - states and territories (a)
	Annual change (%)	Quarterly change (%)
NSW	2.9	0.6
VIC	3.2	0.7
QLD	3.7	0.6
SA	3.1	0.7
WA	3.3	0.7
TAS	3.9	0.5
NT	3.4	1.1
ACT	3.7	0.5
Australia	3.2	0.7

Annual and quarterly movement - states and territories (a)

["","Annual change","Quarterly change"]

[["NSW","VIC","QLD","SA","WA","TAS","NT","ACT","Australia"],[[2.8999999999999999],[3.2000000000000002],[3.7000000000000002],[3.1000000000000001],[3.2999999999999998],[3.8999999999999999],[3.3999999999999999],[3.7000000000000002],[3.2000000000000002]],[[0.59999999999999998],[0.69999999999999996],[0.59999999999999998],[0.69999999999999996],[0.69999999999999996],[0.5],[1.1000000000000001],[0.5],[0.69999999999999996]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"4","tick_interval":"0.5","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Index series is original, total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.

Survey impacts and changes

Seasonal adjustment and trend

Data downloads

I-Note

Download all (1.15 MB)

Time series spreadsheets

Data files

Table 1. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector, original, seasonally adjusted and trend
Download xlsx [64.01 KB]
Table 2a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [51.43 KB]
Table 2b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [65.78 KB]
Table 3a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: private sector by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [51.44 KB]
Table 3b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: private sector by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [65.74 KB]
Table 4a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: public sector by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [51.51 KB]
Table 4b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: public sector by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [66.3 KB]
Table 5a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [74.85 KB]
Table 5b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [142.29 KB]
Table 7a. Hourly rates of pay including bonuses: sector, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [49.27 KB]
Table 7b. Hourly rates of pay including bonuses: sector, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [58.64 KB]
Table 8a. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [51.46 KB]
Table 8b. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [65.78 KB]
Table 9a. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [74.8 KB]
Table 9b. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [142.32 KB]
All WPI series: original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [134.29 KB]
All WPI Series: original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [85.79 KB]

Data cubes - Distribution of expenditure on wages, wage price index, Australia

Data files

Download xlsx [161.64 KB]

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Wage Price Index

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Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6345.0.

Using price indexes

Price indexes in contracts

Price indexes published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provide summary measures of the movements in various categories of prices over time. They are published primarily for use in Government economic analysis. Price indexes are also often used in contracts by businesses and government to adjust payments and/or charges to take account of changes in categories of prices (Indexation Clauses).

Use of Price Indexes in Contracts sets out a range of issues that should be taken into account by parties considering the inclusion of an Indexation Clause within a contract utilising an ABS published price index.

Frequently asked questions

The article Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Wage Price Index has answers to a number of common questions to do with price indexes and the Wage Price Index, in particular.

Methodology

Scope

Employing Australian organisations (private and public sector) and eligible employee jobs.

For specific employer and employee job excludes, see scope and coverage.

Geography

Data available for:

Australia
Sector
State and territories

Source

Prices for a range of jobs are collected from a sample of private and public sector employers via the Wage Price Index Survey.

Collection method

An initial selection of approximately 3,300 Australian organisations (public and private) produces a subset of about 20,000 eligible jobs with data submitted electronically over successive quarters.

Concepts, sources and methods

Detailed information about the data sources and methods used to compile WPI are contained in the Wage Price Index: Concepts, Sources and Methods.

History of changes

Sample redesign 2009
Expenditure weights update Dec 2023
Wage setting analytical series updated June 2023

View full methodology

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APA

Wage Price Index, Australia

APA

Key statistics

Main features

Overview

Wage growth by method of setting pay

Time since last pay change for jobs under individual arrangements

Sector wage growth

Quarterly wage dynamics

Private sector

Public sector

Industry wage growth

State and territory wage growth

Survey impacts and changes

Seasonal adjustment and trend

Data downloads

I-Note

Time series spreadsheets

Table 1. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector, original, seasonally adjusted and trend

Table 2a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)

Table 2b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (quarterly index numbers)

Table 3a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: private sector by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)

Table 3b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: private sector by state, original (quarterly index numbers)

Table 4a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: public sector by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)

Table 4b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: public sector by state, original (quarterly index numbers)

Table 5a. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)

Table 5b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (quarterly index numbers)

Table 7a. Hourly rates of pay including bonuses: sector, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)

Table 7b. Hourly rates of pay including bonuses: sector, original (quarterly index numbers)

Table 8a. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)

Table 8b. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (quarterly index numbers)

Table 9a. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)

Table 9b. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (quarterly index numbers)

All WPI series: original (quarterly index numbers)

All WPI Series: original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)