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Average Weekly Earnings, Australia

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This biannual survey contains estimates of average weekly ordinary time and total earnings classified by sector, state/territory and industry

Reference period

May 2019

Released

15/08/2019

View all releases

Key statistics

Full-time adult average weekly earnings rose by 3.0% to $1,633.80.
Male average weekly earnings: $1,891.50 (public), $1,696.30 (private).
Female average weekly earnings: $1,691.00 (public), $1,401.50 (private).
The mining industry had the highest average weekly earnings at $2,573.00.

Main features

May key figures

The following table contains the key Average Weekly Earnings figures for the May 2019 reference period.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics' Average Weekly Earnings survey is designed to measure the level of average earnings in Australia at a point in time. Movements in average weekly earnings can be affected by changes in both the level of earnings per employee and in the composition of the labour force. Factors which can contribute to compositional change include variations in the proportion of full-time, part-time, casual and junior employees; variations in the occupational distribution within and across industries; and variations in the distribution of employment between industries.

Table 1 - Average weekly earnings, key figures, Australia, May 2019

		May 2019	May 2018 to May 2019
		$	% change
Trend(a)
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 633.80	3.0
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 695.20	2.7
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 238.30	2.5
Original
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 634.80	3.1
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 695.10	2.7
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 237.90	2.5

a. For further information regarding Trend estimates, please refer to paragraphs 64 to 70 on the methodology page.

Trend estimates

In the twelve months to May 2019, Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings increased by 3.0% to $1,633.80.

The Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Total Earnings in May 2019 was $1,695.20, an increase of 2.7% from the same time last year.

To access the time series spreadsheets related to the measures presented above, please refer to the Data downloads section.

Recent feature articles

A Guide to Understanding Average Weekly Earnings Statistics. The article outlines the purpose of the Average Weekly Earnings collection and use of the data. The article also explains the relative strengths and limitations of AWE to ensure appropriate interpretation of the statistics.
Average Weekly Earnings and Wage Price Index - What do they measure? The article outlines the purpose and key uses of Average Weekly Earnings and Wage Price Index collections, and explains how the two surveys can respond differently to economic events using hypothetical examples.

Australia

Table 2 below presents the trend estimates of the key Average Weekly Earnings, Australia series. Trend estimates are obtained by removing calendar related effects and irregular components from the data. They are considered a reliable guide to the underlying direction of the series.

Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings between May 2018 and May 2019 rose by 3.0% to $1,633.80.

Table 2 - Average weekly earnings, Australia, trend(a), May 2019

		May 2019	May 2018 to May 2019
		$	% change
Males
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 726.30	2.9
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 811.90	2.4
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 475.50	2.1
Females
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 484.80	3.6
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 506.60	3.7
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 010.70	3.5
Persons
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 633.80	3.0
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 695.20	2.7
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 238.30	2.5

a. For further information regarding Trend estimates, please refer to paragraphs 64 to 70 on the methodology page.

Original series data presented below has not been adjusted to remove the effects of either seasonal or irregular influences. Compared with May 2018, Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings rose by 3.1% to $1,634.80, in original terms.

Table 3 - Average weekly earnings, Australia, original, May 2019

		May 2019	May 2018 to May 2019
		$	% change
Males
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 727.70	3.0
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 811.90	2.4
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 475.60	2.1
Females
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 485.50	3.6
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 507.20	3.7
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 010.80	3.5
Persons
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 634.80	3.1
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 695.10	2.7
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 237.90	2.5

It is important to note that while Average Weekly Earnings data can be used to compare, at the very broad level, average earnings between males and females, such comparisons do not take into account a range of compositional differences. For example, differences in occupation or hours worked which contribute significantly to the differences observed between male and female earnings. Details of occupation and hours worked are not collected in the Average Weekly Earnings survey. For further comparisons between male and female wages, including hourly rates and by occupation, refer to Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (cat. no. 6306.0).

For further earnings information related to industry, including a breakdown by sex, please refer to the time series spreadsheets in the Data downloads section.

Private and public sector earnings

In May 2019, the Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings was $1,785.40 in the Public sector. Private sector Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings was $1,594.70.

Table 4 - Average weekly earnings, by sector, original, May 2019

		May 2019	May 2018 to May 2019
		$	% change
Australia
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 634.80	3.1
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 695.10	2.7
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 237.90	2.5
Private Sector
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 594.70	3.3
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 656.60	2.8
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 182.60	2.7
Public Sector
	Full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings	1 785.40	2.6
	Full-time adult average weekly total earnings	1 839.70	2.5
	All employees average weekly total earnings	1 476.30	2.2

Looking at Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings for May 2019 in more detail:

the Full-Time Adult Male Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings was $1,891.50 in the Public sector, and $1,696.30 in the Private sector; and
the Full-Time Adult Female Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings was $1,691.00 in the Public sector, and $1,401.50 in the Private sector.

Average weekly ordinary time earnings, full time adults by sector, original

Persons
Reference period	Private ($)	Public ($)
May-2015	1,455	1,587
Nov-2015	1,468	1,620
May-2016	1,483	1,641
Nov-2016	1,496	1,674
May-2017	1,504	1,686
Nov-2017	1,530	1,722
May-2018	1,544	1,740
Nov-2018	1,564	1,766
May-2019	1,595	1,785

Males
Reference period	Private ($)	Public ($)
May-2015	1,571	1,692
Nov-2015	1,579	1,725
May-2016	1,588	1,749
Nov-2016	1,602	1,784
May-2017	1,608	1,785
Nov-2017	1,634	1,827
May-2018	1,646	1,840
Nov-2018	1,664	1,870
May-2019	1,696	1,892

Females
Reference period	Private ($)	Public ($)
May-2015	1,236	1,485
Nov-2015	1,250	1,518
May-2016	1,277	1,539
Nov-2016	1,288	1,571
May-2017	1,298	1,595
Nov-2017	1,323	1,626
May-2018	1,343	1,650
Nov-2018	1,370	1,672
May-2019	1,402	1,691

For further earnings information related to sector, including a breakdown by sex, and estimates in Trend and Seasonally Adjusted terms, please refer to the time series spreadsheets in the Data downloads section.

Industry earnings

In May 2019, employees in the Mining industry had the highest Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings in Australia at $2,573.00 The industry with the lowest level of Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings was the Accommodation and food services industry ($1,162.40).

Average weekly ordinary time earnings, full time adults by industry, original, May 2019

Persons
Industry	Average weekly earnings ($)
Mining	2,573
Manufacturing	1,433
Electricity, gas, water & waste services	1,874
Construction	1,587
Wholesale trade	1,564
Retail trade	1,200
Accommodation & food services	1,162
Transport, postal & warehousing	1,613
Information media & telecommunications	1,991
Financial & insurance services	1,986
Rental, hiring & real estate services	1,418
Professional, scientific & technical services	1,939
Administrative & support services	1,526
Public administration & safety	1,712
Education & training	1,768
Health care & social assistance	1,567
Arts & recreation services	1,567
Other services	1,268
Total all industries	1,635

Persons

["Industry","Average weekly earnings"]

[["Mining","Manufacturing","Electricity, gas, water & waste services","Construction","Wholesale trade","Retail trade","Accommodation & food services","Transport, postal & warehousing","Information media & telecommunications","Financial & insurance services","Rental, hiring & real estate services","Professional, scientific & technical services","Administrative & support services","Public administration & safety","Education & training","Health care & social assistance","Arts & recreation services","Other services","Total all industries"],[[2573],[1432.7],[1873.9000000000001],[1586.5999999999999],[1563.9000000000001],[1200.0999999999999],[1162.4000000000001],[1612.5],[1991.4000000000001],[1985.9000000000001],[1417.7],[1938.5999999999999],[1526],[1711.5],[1768.0999999999999],[1566.5],[1567.4000000000001],[1267.5999999999999],[1634.8]]]

[]

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[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"400","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"","axis_title":"$","precision":"0","table_units":"($)","tooltip_units":"","axis_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Males
Industry	Average weekly earnings ($)
Mining	2,617
Manufacturing	1,471
Electricity, gas, water & waste services	1,924
Construction	1,614
Wholesale trade	1,637
Retail trade	1,219
Accommodation & food services	1,207
Transport, postal & warehousing	1,670
Information media & telecommunications	2,120
Financial & insurance services	2,237
Rental, hiring & real estate services	1,560
Professional, scientific & technical services	2,122
Administrative & support services	1,646
Public administration & safety	1,748
Education & training	1,909
Health care & social assistance	1,886
Arts & recreation services	1,707
Other services	1,283
Total all industries	1,728

Males

["Industry","Average weekly earnings"]

[["Mining","Manufacturing","Electricity, gas, water & waste services","Construction","Wholesale trade","Retail trade","Accommodation & food services","Transport, postal & warehousing","Information media & telecommunications","Financial & insurance services","Rental, hiring & real estate services","Professional, scientific & technical services","Administrative & support services","Public administration & safety","Education & training","Health care & social assistance","Arts & recreation services","Other services","Total all industries"],[[2616.9000000000001],[1471],[1923.5999999999999],[1613.5999999999999],[1636.7],[1219.0999999999999],[1207.2],[1669.5],[2120.1999999999998],[2237.0999999999999],[1560],[2121.5],[1645.5999999999999],[1747.5],[1909.0999999999999],[1885.8],[1706.7],[1282.5999999999999],[1727.7]]]

[]

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

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"400","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"","axis_title":"$","precision":"0","table_units":"($)","tooltip_units":"","axis_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Females
Industry	Average weekly earnings ($)
Mining	2,286
Manufacturing	1,310
Electricity, gas, water & waste services	1,703
Construction	1,397
Wholesale trade	1,390
Retail trade	1,172
Accommodation & food services	1,097
Transport, postal & warehousing	1,410
Information media & telecommunications	1,758
Financial & insurance services	1,691
Rental, hiring & real estate services	1,255
Professional, scientific & technical services	1,606
Administrative & support services	1,377
Public administration & safety	1,662
Education & training	1,690
Health care & social assistance	1,435
Arts & recreation services	1,370
Other services	1,238
Total all industries	1,486

Females

["Industry","Average weekly earnings"]

[["Mining","Manufacturing","Electricity, gas, water & waste services","Construction","Wholesale trade","Retail trade","Accommodation & food services","Transport, postal & warehousing","Information media & telecommunications","Financial & insurance services","Rental, hiring & real estate services","Professional, scientific & technical services","Administrative & support services","Public administration & safety","Education & training","Health care & social assistance","Arts & recreation services","Other services","Total all industries"],[[2285.5999999999999],[1310.2],[1703.0999999999999],[1396.8],[1389.9000000000001],[1171.5],[1096.8],[1409.5],[1757.9000000000001],[1691],[1255],[1605.5999999999999],[1376.5],[1661.7],[1690.2],[1434.9000000000001],[1369.5999999999999],[1237.8],[1485.5]]]

[]

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

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"400","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"2800","axis_title":"$","precision":"0","table_units":"($)","tooltip_units":"","axis_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

For further earnings information related to industry, including a breakdown by sex, please refer to the time series spreadsheets in the Data downloads section.

State and territory earnings

In May 2019, Full-Time Adult Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings was highest for the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia, $1,809.70, and $1,780.80 respectively.

Average weekly ordinary time earnings, full time adults by state, original

Persons
State	Average weekly earnings ($)
NSW	1,664.1
Vic.	1,608.3
Qld	1,577.2
SA	1,475.1
WA	1,780.8
Tas.	1,420.5
NT	1,690.3
ACT	1,809.7
Aust.	1,634.8

Males
State	Average weekly earnings ($)
NSW	1,768.4
Vic.	1,665.6
Qld	1,685.5
SA	1,528.0
WA	1,923.1
Tas.	1,473.2
NT	1,808.7
ACT	1,920.1
Aust.	1,727.7

Females
State	Average weekly earnings ($)
NSW	1,509.1
Vic.	1,505.2
Qld	1,411.2
SA	1,385.2
WA	1,508.7
Tas.	1,322.1
NT	1,553.7
ACT	1,688.6
Aust.	1,485.5

For further earnings information related to States and Territories, including detailed breakdown by sex, please refer to the time series spreadsheets in the Data downloads section.

Average weekly cash earnings

Commentary in the other sections of this release relates exclusively to estimates of employee earnings excluding amounts salary sacrificed. This section includes information on Average Weekly Cash Earnings (AWCE), which provides estimates of employee earnings including amounts salary sacrificed.

Salary sacrifice is defined as an arrangement where an employee agrees to forgo part of his or her salary in return for benefits of a similar value. Common types of salary sacrifice arrangements include pre-tax contributions to superannuation funds and novated leases for motor vehicles.

Average weekly ordinary time cash earnings, full time adults, original
Reference period	Persons ($)	Males ($)	Females ($)
May-2015	1,537	1,642	1,369
Nov-2015	1,557	1,655	1,392
May-2016	1,568	1,662	1,411
Nov-2016	1,584	1,677	1,430
May-2017	1,594	1,684	1,445
Nov-2017	1,615	1,705	1,467
May-2018	1,631	1,717	1,488
Nov-2018	1,651	1,736	1,513
May-2019	1,682	1,768	1,543

Average weekly ordinary time cash earnings, full time adults, original

["Reference period","Persons","Males","Females"]

[["May-2015","Nov-2015","May-2016","Nov-2016","May-2017","Nov-2017","May-2018","Nov-2018","May-2019"],[[1537.3],[1556.5],[1568.3],[1584.3],[1594.0999999999999],[1615.3],[1631.0999999999999],[1651.3],[1681.5999999999999]],[[1641.5999999999999],[1654.7],[1661.7],[1677.4000000000001],[1683.5999999999999],[1704.5999999999999],[1717.4000000000001],[1735.8],[1768]],[[1368.5],[1392],[1411.3],[1430.2],[1444.9000000000001],[1466.5999999999999],[1488.2],[1512.9000000000001],[1542.5999999999999]]]

[]

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

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"100","axis_min":"1000","axis_max":"2000","axis_title":"$","precision":"0","table_units":"($)","tooltip_units":"","axis_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

In May 2019, on average, full-time adult employees in Australia salary sacrificed $46.80 (Full-time adult ordinary time cash earnings $1,681.60 minus Full-time adult ordinary time earnings $1,634.80). This is an increase of $1.00 from November 2018.

Amounts salary sacrificed by an employee can be affected by a change in his or her earnings (for example, an increase in the level of overtime worked or commissions earned). Additionally, some employees sacrifice more of their salary at the beginning of the financial year and then the amount tapers off towards the end of the year when he or she has reached the concessional contributions cap for salary sacrificing superannuation. For other employees, the amount of salary sacrificed increases towards the end of the financial year to ensure the cap is reached. A feature article examining Salary Sacrifice arrangements of Australian employees was published in the November 2012 AWE release.

For further earnings information related to Average Weekly Cash Earnings, please refer to the data cubes in the Data downloads section.

Inquiries

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070. The ABS Privacy Policy outlines how the ABS will handle any personal information that you provide to us.

Data downloads - time series spreadsheets

Table 1. Average weekly earnings, Australia (dollars) - trend

Data files

APA

Average Weekly Earnings, Australia

APA

Key statistics

Main features

May key figures

Table 1 - Average weekly earnings, key figures, Australia, May 2019

Trend estimates

Recent feature articles

Australia

Table 2 - Average weekly earnings, Australia, trend(a), May 2019

Table 3 - Average weekly earnings, Australia, original, May 2019

Private and public sector earnings

Table 4 - Average weekly earnings, by sector, original, May 2019

Average weekly ordinary time earnings, full time adults by sector, original

Industry earnings

Average weekly ordinary time earnings, full time adults by industry, original, May 2019

State and territory earnings

Average weekly ordinary time earnings, full time adults by state, original

Average weekly cash earnings

Inquiries

Data downloads - time series spreadsheets

Table 1. Average weekly earnings, Australia (dollars) - trend

Table 2. Average weekly earnings, Australia (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 3. Average weekly earnings, Australia (dollars) - original

Table 4. Average weekly earnings, private sector - Australia (dollars) - trend

Table 5. Average weekly earnings, private sector - Australia (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 6. Average weekly earnings, private sector - Australia (dollars) - original

Table 7. Average weekly earnings, public sector - Australia (dollars) - trend

Table 8. Average weekly earnings, public sector - Australia (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 9. Average weekly earnings, public sector - Australia (dollars) - original

Table 10a. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - males, full time adult ordinary time earnings

Table 10b. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - males, full time adult total earnings

Table 10c. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - males, total earnings

Table 10d. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - females, full time adult ordinary time earnings

Table 10e. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - females, full time adult total earnings

Table 10f. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - females, total earnings

Table 10g. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - persons, full time adult ordinary time earnings

Table 10h. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - persons, full time adult total earnings

Table 10i. Average weekly earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original - persons, total earnings

Table 11a. Average weekly earnings, New South Wales (dollars) - trend

Table 11b. Average weekly earnings, Victoria (dollars) - trend

Table 11c. Average weekly earnings, Queensland (dollars) - trend

Table 11d. Average weekly earnings, South Australia (dollars) - trend

Table 11e. Average weekly earnings, Western Australia (dollars) - trend

Table 11f. Average weekly earnings, Tasmania (dollars) - trend

Table 11g. Average weekly earnings, Northern Territory (dollars) - trend

Table 11h. Average weekly earnings, Australian Capital Territory (dollars) - trend

Table 12a. Average weekly earnings, New South Wales (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 12b. Average weekly earnings, Victoria (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 12c. Average weekly earnings, Queensland (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 12d. Average weekly earnings, South Australia (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 12e. Average weekly earnings, Western Australia (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 12f. Average weekly earnings, Tasmania (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 12g. Average weekly earnings, Northern Territory (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 12h. Average weekly earnings, Australian Capital Territory (dollars) - seasonally adjusted

Table 13a. Average weekly earnings, New South Wales (dollars) - original

Table 13b. Average weekly earnings, Victoria (dollars) - original

Table 13c. Average weekly earnings, Queensland (dollars) - original

Table 13d. Average weekly earnings, South Australia (dollars) - original

Table 13e. Average weekly earnings, Western Australia (dollars) - original

Table 13f. Average weekly earnings, Tasmania (dollars) - original

Table 13g. Average weekly earnings, Northern Territory (dollars) - original

Table 13h. Average weekly earnings, Australian Capital Territory (dollars) - original

Table 14a. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, New South Wales (dollars) - original - persons

Table 14b. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, Victoria (dollars) - original - persons

Table 14c. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, Queensland (dollars) - original - persons

Table 14d. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, South Australia (dollars) - original - persons

Table 14e. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, Western Australia (dollars) - original - persons

Table 14f. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, Tasmania (dollars) - original - persons

Table 14g. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, Northern Territory (dollars) - original - persons

Table 14h. Average weekly earnings, private and public sectors, Australian Capital Territory (dollars) - original - persons

Data downloads - data cubes

Table 15: Average weekly cash earnings, Australia by sector (dollars) - original

Table 16: Average weekly cash earnings, state by sector (dollars) - original

Table 17: Average weekly cash earnings, industry, Australia (dollars) - original

Methodology

Articles

Growth in average wages increases

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