Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

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The Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours conducted in May 2000 collected information on employees' pay setting arrangements, e.g. by award, collective or individual agreements. 'Awards only' refers to employees who had their pay set at exactly the applicable award rate of pay. Employees classified to the 'collective agreements' category were those whose pay was set by a registered or unregistered collective agreement. Those classified to the 'individual agreements' category either had their pay set by an individual common law contract, or received overaward payments specified in an individual agreement, or were working proprietors who set their own rate of pay, or were employees on registered individual agreements.

Table 6.39 shows that the most common method of setting pay was individual agreements (40%), followed by collective agreements (37%) and awards only (23%). Accommodation, cafes and restaurants was the industry with the highest proportion of employees on awards (65%), and the lowest proportion of employees on collective agreements, while Electricity, gas and water supply (1%) and Communication services (2%) had the lowest proportion of employees on awards. Government administration and defence (78%), Education (77%) and Electricity, gas and water supply (77%) had the highest proportion of employees under collective agreements. Wholesale trade (77%), Property and business services (68%) and Construction (61%) had the highest proportion of employees on individual agreements, while Government administration and defence (7%) and Education (9%) had the lowest.

6.39 METHODS OF SETTING PAY, By Industry(a) - May 2000
Industry	Awards only %	Collective agreements(b) %	Individual agreements(c) %	Total %
Mining	*5.9	39.7	54.3	100.0
Manufacturing	11.4	37.0	51.6	100.0
Electricity, gas and water supply	*1.4	76.5	22.1	100.0
Construction	15.0	23.8	61.2	100.0
Wholesale trade	12.1	10.8	77.1	100.0
Retail trade	34.9	28.7	36.5	100.0
Accommodation, cafes and restaurants	64.7	6.7	28.6	100.0
Transport and storage	18.4	40.1	41.5	100.0
Communication services	*1.5	69.4	29.1	100.0
Finance and insurance	5.6	49.9	44.4	100.0
Property and business services	20.7	11.1	68.2	100.0
Government administration and defence	15.3	77.9	6.8	100.0
Education	13.6	77.1	9.3	100.0
Health and community services	37.4	43.5	19.1	100.0
Cultural and recreational services	18.9	33.3	47.8	100.0
Personal and other services	27.1	42.8	30.1	100.0
All industries	23.2	36.8	40.0	100.0
(a) Classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC). (b) Includes registered and unregistered collective agreements. (c) Includes registered and unregistered individual agreements.
Source: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (6306.0).

Table 6.40 shows that of all occupations, Managers and administrators are the least likely to be covered by awards only (3%), and the most likely to be covered by individual agreements (74%). Professionals had the highest proportion of employees under collective agreements (51%), while Elementary clerical, sales and service workers had the highest proportion of employees under awards (42%).

6.40 METHODS OF SETTING PAY, By Occupation(a) - May 2000
Occupation	Awards only %	Collective agreements(b) %	Individual agreements(c) %	Total %
Managers and administrators	3.3	22.9	73.8	100.0
Professionals	13.2	51.4	35.4	100.0
Associate professionals	12.2	33.8	54.1	100.0
Tradespersons and related workers	23.1	32.0	44.9	100.0
Advanced clerical and service workers	14.2	20.9	64.9	100.0
Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers	29.9	31.4	38.7	100.0
Intermediate production and transport workers	19.1	48.7	32.2	100.0
Elementary clerical, sales and service workers	42.0	36.9	21.1	100.0
Labourers and related workers	36.9	34.6	28.5	100.0
All occupations	23.2	36.8	40.0	100.0
(a) Classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), Second Edition. (b) Includes registered and unregistered collective agreements. (c) Includes registered and unregistered individual agreements.
Source: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (6306.0).

Table 6.41 shows the average weekly earnings of employees under the various types of pay setting arrangements. Persons working under individual agreements had the highest average weekly total earnings ($787.70 and $728.10 for registered and unregistered agreements respectively). However, for males registered collective agreements were higher than unregistered individual agreements ($850.40 compared to $834.40), while for females registered collective agreements were higher than both registered and unregistered individual agreements ($591.80 compared to $562.60 and $575.80 respectively).

6.41 METHODS OF SETTING PAY, Average Weekly Total Earnings - May 2000
	Ordinary time earnings			Overtime	Total
	Base pay $	Payment by measured result $	Total $	$	$
MALES
Awards only	431.80	*8.00	439.80	41.10	480.90
Registered collective agreements	769.70	6.10	775.70	74.60	850.40
Unregistered collective agreements	656.80	*7.90	664.60	45.20	709.80
Registered individual agreements	878.80	*9.20	888.10	*26.40	914.40
Unregistered individual agreements	797.50	12.10	809.60	24.80	834.40
Total	725.70	9.20	734.80	45.40	780.20
FEMALES
Awards only	369.70	*0.80	370.50	7.80	378.30
Registered collective agreements	576.70	1.00	577.70	14.00	591.80
Unregistered collective agreements	430.00	*1.40	431.50	*11.50	442.90
Registered individual agreements	557.10	*4.00	561.10	*1.60	562.60
Unregistered individual agreements	566.70	*3.20	569.90	6.00	575.80
Total	509.60	1.70	511.30	9.40	520.60
PERSONS
Awards only	392.60	*3.40	396.00	20.10	416.10
Registered collective agreements	674.10	3.60	677.70	44.60	722.30
Unregistered collective agreements	568.10	*5.30	573.50	32.00	605.50
Registered individual agreements	762.90	*7.30	770.20	*17.40	787.70
Unregistered individual agreements	702.60	8.50	711.00	17.10	728.10
Total	619.60	5.50	625.10	27.70	652.80
Source: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (6306.0).

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