6310.0 - Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership, Australia, Aug 2003  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 11/03/2004   
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MEDIA RELEASE

March 11, 2004
Embargoed 11:30am (AEST)
39/2004

Employee earnings continue to rise

Average weekly earnings for all employees was $734 in August 2003, an increase of 4% since August 2002, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In August 2003, full-time workers who were employees in their main job earned on average $904 per week in all jobs, an increase of 5% since August 2002. Mean weekly earnings were $967 for male full-time workers and $790 for female full-time workers in August 2003.

Part-time workers who were employees in their main job earned, on average, $324 per week in all jobs in August 2003. Mean weekly earnings for male part-time workers was $294, a decrease of 5% since August 2002, and $334 for female part-time workers, an increase of 3% since August 2002.

In August 2003, three-quarters (75%) of employees were entitled to one or more types of paid leave (holiday, sick, long service or maternity/paternity) in their main job.

Nine in ten people employed in the public sector were more likely to have one or more leave benefits, compared to seven in ten employees in the private sector.

In August 2003, 72% of employees were entitled to either paid holiday leave or paid sick leave, or both. This was only slightly down on the 73% reported in the previous three years.

There were 1,866,700 employees in August 2003 who were members of a trade union in conjunction with their main job. This was a 2% increase on the number recorded in August 2002. The proportion of employees who were trade union members (23%) remained the same as in August 2002.

The proportion of full-time employees who were trade union members was higher, than for part-time employees (26% and 17% respectively). Almost one in two public sector employees were trade union members, compared to almost one in five employees in the private sector.

Further information is in Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership, 2003 (cat. no. 6310.0).