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

March 2024

Released

15/05/2024

Key statistics

The seasonally adjusted WPI rose 0.8% this quarter and 4.1% over the year.
The private sector rose 0.8% and the public sector rose 0.5%, seasonally adjusted for the quarter.
The largest industry contributors to quarterly wage growth were Professional, scientific and technical services (0.7%), Education and training (0.8%), and Construction (0.7%).

Main features

All sector WPI, quarterly and annual movement (%), seasonally adjusted (a)
	Quarterly (%)	Annual (%)
Mar-05	1.1	3.9
Jun-05	0.9	4.1
Sep-05	1.0	4.2
Dec-05	0.9	4.0
Mar-06	1.1	4.1
Jun-06	1.0	4.2
Sep-06	0.9	4.0
Dec-06	1.1	4.2
Mar-07	1.0	4.0
Jun-07	1.0	4.0
Sep-07	1.1	4.2
Dec-07	1.0	4.0
Mar-08	0.9	4.0
Jun-08	1.2	4.3
Sep-08	1.0	4.2
Dec-08	1.0	4.3
Mar-09	0.9	4.2
Jun-09	0.7	3.7
Sep-09	0.5	3.1
Dec-09	0.8	2.9
Mar-10	1.0	3.0
Jun-10	0.8	3.1
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	0.9	3.7
Dec-11	0.9	3.6
Mar-12	1.0	3.6
Jun-12	0.9	3.8
Sep-12	0.8	3.7
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	0.9	3.6
Jun-23	1.0	3.7
Sep-23	1.2	4.0
Dec-23	1.0	4.2
Mar-24	0.8	4.1

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

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

[["Mar-05","Jun-05","Sep-05","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"],[[1.1000000000000001],[0.90000000000000002],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[1],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[1.2],[1],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[0.69999999999999996],[0.5],[0.80000000000000004],[1],[0.80000000000000004],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[0.69999999999999996],[0.90000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[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],[0.90000000000000002],[1],[1.2],[1],[0.80000000000000004]],[[3.8999999999999999],[4.0999999999999996],[4.2000000000000002],[4],[4.0999999999999996],[4.2000000000000002],[4],[4.2000000000000002],[4],[4],[4.2000000000000002],[4],[4],[4.2999999999999998],[4.2000000000000002],[4.2999999999999998],[4.2000000000000002],[3.7000000000000002],[3.1000000000000001],[2.8999999999999999],[3],[3.1000000000000001],[3.6000000000000001],[3.8999999999999999],[3.8999999999999999],[3.7999999999999998],[3.7000000000000002],[3.6000000000000001],[3.6000000000000001],[3.7999999999999998],[3.7000000000000002],[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],[3.6000000000000001],[3.7000000000000002],[4],[4.2000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996]]]

[]

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

Wage Price Index (WPI) Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses
	Dec Qtr 2023 to Mar Qtr 2024 % change(a)	Mar Qtr 2023 to Mar Qtr 2024 % change(a)
Trend(b)
Australia	1.0	4.2
Private sector	0.9	4.2
Public sector	0.9	4.0
Seasonally Adjusted(c)
Australia	0.8	4.1
Private sector	0.8	4.1
Public sector	0.5	3.8
Original
Australia	0.6	4.1
Private sector	0.6	4.1
Public sector	0.5	3.7

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, wages grew 0.8% in the March quarter 2024. In the March quarter, the private sector was the main contributor to the overall increase in wages, rising 0.8% while public sector wages rose 0.5%.

Annual wage growth was 4.1%, down from the 4.2% annual rise recorded in the December quarter 2023. This is the smallest increase in annual wages since December quarter 2020.

Through the year private sector wages growth of 4.1%, was slightly lower than the peak of 4.2% recorded over the last two quarters of 2023. This had been the highest annual growth for the sector since December 2008.

Annually, public sector wages rose 3.8% in the March quarter 2024, lower than the 4.3% annual rise in December quarter 2023, and higher than the same period last year (3.0%).

Annual wage growth by sector, seasonally adjusted (a)
	Private (%)	Public (%)
Mar-09	4.0	4.4
Jun-09	3.5	4.4
Sep-09	2.8	4.6
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	2.8	2.5
Sep-22	3.4	2.4
Dec-22	3.6	2.5
Mar-23	3.8	3.0
Jun-23	3.9	3.1
Sep-23	4.2	3.5
Dec-23	4.2	4.3
Mar-24	4.1	3.8

Annual wage growth by sector, seasonally adjusted (a)

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

[["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"],[[4],[3.5],[2.7999999999999998],[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],[2.7999999999999998],[3.3999999999999999],[3.6000000000000001],[3.7999999999999998],[3.8999999999999999],[4.2000000000000002],[4.2000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996]],[[4.4000000000000004],[4.4000000000000004],[4.5999999999999996],[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],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[2.5],[3],[3.1000000000000001],[3.5],[4.2999999999999998],[3.7999999999999998]]]

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

Sector wage growth

The private sector recorded a larger contribution to overall growth (81%), compared to December quarter 2023 (66%) and the same time last year (70%).

The public sector contributed almost a fifth (19%) of overall wage growth in March quarter 2024, lower than the contribution of the sector to wage growth in March quarter 2023 (30%).

Share of wage growth by sector, original
	Private (%)	Public (%)
Mar-21	80	20
Jun-21	85	15
Sep-21	81	19
Dec-21	74	26
Mar-22	77	23
Jun-22	85	15
Sep-22	89	11
Dec-22	78	22
Mar-23	70	30
Jun-23	81	19
Sep-23	86	14
Dec-23	66	34
Mar-24	81	19

Share of wage growth by sector, original

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

[["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"],[[80],[85],[81],[74],[77],[85],[89],[78],[70],[81],[86],[66],[81]],[[20],[15],[19],[26],[23],[15],[11],[22],[30],[19],[14],[34],[19]]]

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Quarterly wage dynamics

Across both the public and private sector there was a fall in the proportion of jobs receiving a wage change in March quarter 2024 compared to March quarter 2023. Overall, the percentage of jobs with a wage change was 14% in March quarter 2024 compared to 19% in March quarter 2023.

For all sectors, the average hourly wage change was 4.0% compared to 3.7% in March quarter 2023.

Quarterly wage dynamics, by sector, original (a)
	March quarter 2024 (%)	December quarter 2023 (%)	March quarter 2023 (%)
All Sector
Percentage of jobs with a wage change	14	21	19
Average hourly wage change	4.0	4.4	3.7
Private Sector
Percentage of jobs with a wage change	12	16	14
Average hourly wage change	4.4	4.4	4.3
Public Sector
Percentage of jobs with a wage change	18	38	38
Average hourly wage change	2.9	4.3	3.0

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

Private sector

In original terms, the private sector recorded 0.6% quarterly wage growth, slightly lower than March quarter 2023 (0.7%).

The average hourly wage change for jobs in the private sector that recorded a change, increased slightly to 4.4% from 4.3% for the same period last year but remained consistent with December quarter 2023.

Quarterly wage dynamics in the private sector, original (a)
	Average hourly wage change (%)	Proportion of jobs (%)
Sep-10	4.0	42
Dec-10	3.9	20
Mar-11	3.7	22
Jun-11	3.4	16
Sep-11	3.9	40
Dec-11	4.1	22
Mar-12	3.7	20
Jun-12	4.1	16
Sep-12	3.5	38
Dec-12	3.6	19
Mar-13	3.1	19
Jun-13	3.5	14
Sep-13	3.0	40
Dec-13	2.8	16
Mar-14	2.8	22
Jun-14	2.9	13
Sep-14	3.1	38
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

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

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

[["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"],[[4],[3.8999999999999999],[3.7000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999],[3.8999999999999999],[4.0999999999999996],[3.7000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996],[3.5],[3.6000000000000001],[3.1000000000000001],[3.5],[3],[2.7999999999999998],[2.7999999999999998],[2.8999999999999999],[3.1000000000000001],[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]],[[42],[20],[22],[16],[40],[22],[20],[16],[38],[19],[19],[14],[40],[16],[22],[13],[38],[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]]]

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

Public sector

In original terms, the public sector saw 0.5% wage growth, lower than the previous March quarter (1.0%).

The public sector saw fewer jobs receiving a wage rise (18% in March quarter 2024 compared to 38% in March quarter 2023).

The average hourly wage change, for jobs in the public sector recording a change, was 2.9%. This is slightly lower than the average wage change recorded in March quarter 2023 (3.0%) and notably lower than December and September quarter (4.3% and 3.3%).

The March quarter 2023 result for the public sector reflected the implementation of new enterprise agreements and changes to wage caps. Many jobs covered by these new agreements also saw scheduled rises paid in either the September or December quarters last year instead of in the March quarter 2024.

Quarterly wage dynamics in the public sector, original (a)
	Average hourly wage change (%)	Proportion of jobs (%)
Sep-10	3.6	42
Dec-10	3.1	28
Mar-11	3.0	28
Jun-11	3.1	15
Sep-11	3.3	29
Dec-11	2.8	28
Mar-12	2.9	28
Jun-12	3.4	18
Sep-12	3.0	36
Dec-12	3.2	20
Mar-13	2.4	28
Jun-13	2.7	14
Sep-13	2.8	31
Dec-13	2.5	36
Mar-14	2.3	39
Jun-14	2.0	13
Sep-14	2.5	32
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

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

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

[["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"],[[3.6000000000000001],[3.1000000000000001],[3],[3.1000000000000001],[3.2999999999999998],[2.7999999999999998],[2.8999999999999999],[3.3999999999999999],[3],[3.2000000000000002],[2.3999999999999999],[2.7000000000000002],[2.7999999999999998],[2.5],[2.2999999999999998],[2],[2.5],[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]],[[42],[28],[28],[15],[29],[28],[28],[18],[36],[20],[28],[14],[31],[36],[39],[13],[32],[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]]]

[]

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

Annualised wage changes

For jobs that recorded a change over the previous four quarters, the share that recorded an annualised increase of 3% or above has increased, continuing the trend seen since June quarter 2021.

Two thirds (66%) of all jobs that recorded a wage change over the previous 12 months received an annualised increase above 3%, compared to 50% in March quarter 2023.

The share of jobs that recorded an annualised increase between 0 and 2% saw a slight uptick compared to the December quarter 2023. This is the first time that there has been an increase since June quarter 2021, when the proportion of jobs receiving annualised wage increases in this range peaked at 54%.

Wage changes of different sizes (a)(b)
	Total %	Wage cut	> 0 to 2%	> 2 to 3%	> 3 to 4%	> 4 to 6%	> 6%
Mar-08	100	4.4	18.0	14.2	27.7	22.6	13.2
Jun-08	100	4.4	17.8	13.7	28.0	22.1	14.1
Sep-08	100	4.7	18.9	12.3	26.6	22.3	15.2
Dec-08	100	5.0	13.0	11.5	30.8	24.4	15.3
Mar-09	100	4.6	12.4	13.8	28.7	25.8	14.6
Jun-09	100	4.7	14.2	13.6	27.6	27.3	12.7
Sep-09	100	4.7	15.7	16.1	28.7	25.4	9.4
Dec-09	100	4.8	20.0	19.1	24.7	24.0	7.4
Mar-10	100	4.7	23.1	18.8	25.3	21.5	6.6
Jun-10	100	5.3	21.2	19.8	26.8	20.1	6.8
Sep-10	100	5.5	18.9	18.6	27.3	20.3	9.4
Dec-10	100	5.9	17.3	18.6	27.1	20.8	10.5
Mar-11	100	6.4	14.4	19.7	28.1	20.4	11.0
Jun-11	100	7.0	14.2	19.6	28.0	19.9	11.3
Sep-11	100	7.3	13.7	20.0	31.9	16.7	10.4
Dec-11	100	7.3	13.1	21.2	31.4	15.9	11.1
Mar-12	100	7.5	13.3	21.4	30.5	15.6	11.7
Jun-12	100	6.8	12.9	21.0	30.9	16.0	12.3
Sep-12	100	6.5	13.3	28.2	24.0	16.0	11.9
Dec-12	100	6.6	14.2	27.6	24.4	16.5	10.7
Mar-13	100	7.0	16.8	27.8	23.2	15.5	9.8
Jun-13	100	7.2	17.4	30.4	21.9	14.5	8.5
Sep-13	100	8.1	20.2	30.9	19.9	13.8	7.1
Dec-13	100	8.2	21.1	34.8	18.4	11.5	6.1
Mar-14	100	7.9	21.6	35.4	18.4	10.8	5.9
Jun-14	100	8.0	22.2	36.7	17.8	10.2	5.2
Sep-14	100	8.9	20.7	38.1	18.6	9.3	4.3
Dec-14	100	8.7	22.2	37.0	18.6	9.4	4.0
Mar-15	100	8.4	22.3	39.1	18.0	9.0	3.3
Jun-15	100	7.9	22.6	40.7	17.4	8.4	3.0
Sep-15	100	5.9	24.7	44.1	14.9	7.8	2.7
Dec-15	100	5.7	24.8	46.0	13.9	7.1	2.6
Mar-16	100	5.9	25.2	47.7	12.1	6.6	2.5
Jun-16	100	5.5	27.9	47.0	11.6	5.7	2.4
Sep-16	100	4.7	28.6	49.2	10.6	5.0	1.8
Dec-16	100	4.5	29.4	49.4	9.9	5.1	1.7
Mar-17	100	4.1	30.7	47.8	10.4	5.5	1.6
Jun-17	100	4.0	30.6	46.9	11.5	5.4	1.5
Sep-17	100	3.5	29.6	39.5	21.3	4.6	1.4
Dec-17	100	4.1	30.0	38.2	21.9	4.5	1.2
Mar-18	100	4.2	31.6	36.8	22.2	4.2	1.0
Jun-18	100	4.5	30.9	36.5	22.5	4.4	1.3
Sep-18	100	4.4	31.6	35.6	23.1	4.1	1.2
Dec-18	100	3.8	32.7	35.4	22.3	4.3	1.5
Mar-19	100	3.2	31.3	36.5	22.4	4.6	2.0
Jun-19	100	3.2	32.5	35.8	20.9	5.2	2.3
Sep-19	100	3.7	32.1	40.2	14.5	6.3	3.2
Dec-19	100	3.3	32.5	40.4	13.9	6.5	3.4
Mar-20	100	3.2	31.7	41.9	13.6	6.3	3.3
Jun-20	100	4.3	31.8	41.8	13.0	6.1	3.1
Sep-20	100	5.1	40.4	36.1	8.4	6.5	3.5
Dec-20	100	5.3	44.8	32.4	7.2	5.5	4.7
Mar-21	100	4.9	51.1	27.4	7.0	4.6	4.9
Jun-21	100	2.7	53.5	26.8	7.1	4.4	5.4
Sep-21	100	4.0	45.8	31.9	7.0	5.4	5.8
Dec-21	100	3.7	40.3	37.5	7.5	6.0	5.0
Mar-22	100	4.3	34.1	40.8	7.6	7.7	5.6
Jun-22	100	4.6	29.9	41.0	8.8	9.2	6.6
Sep-22	100	3.2	25.4	32.9	10.3	20.2	8.0
Dec-22	100	3.4	21.3	30.1	12.6	23.3	9.3
Mar-23	100	3.4	18.6	28.5	14.4	24.5	10.6
Jun-23	100	3.3	17.4	26.4	16.5	25.1	11.3
Sep-23	100	3.3	14.8	23.2	18.4	27.4	13.0
Dec-23	100	3.3	13.7	19.6	20.4	29.2	14.0
Mar-24	100	3.2	14.5	16.7	20.3	31.0	14.4

Wage changes of different sizes (a)(b)

["","Total %","Wage cut","> 0 to 2%","> 2 to 3%","> 3 to 4%","> 4 to 6%","> 6%"]

[["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"],[[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100],[100]],[[4.4000000000000004],[4.4000000000000004],[4.7000000000000002],[5],[4.5999999999999996],[4.7000000000000002],[4.7000000000000002],[4.7999999999999998],[4.7000000000000002],[5.2999999999999998],[5.5],[5.9000000000000004],[6.4000000000000004],[7],[7.2999999999999998],[7.2999999999999998],[7.5],[6.7999999999999998],[6.5],[6.5999999999999996],[7],[7.2000000000000002],[8.0999999999999996],[8.1999999999999993],[7.9000000000000004],[8],[8.9000000000000004],[8.6999999999999993],[8.4000000000000004],[7.9000000000000004],[5.9000000000000004],[5.7000000000000002],[5.9000000000000004],[5.5],[4.7000000000000002],[4.5],[4.0999999999999996],[4],[3.5],[4.0999999999999996],[4.2000000000000002],[4.5],[4.4000000000000004],[3.7999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002],[3.2000000000000002],[3.7000000000000002],[3.2999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002],[4.2999999999999998],[5.0999999999999996],[5.2999999999999998],[4.9000000000000004],[2.7000000000000002],[4],[3.7000000000000002],[4.2999999999999998],[4.5999999999999996],[3.2000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999],[3.3999999999999999],[3.2999999999999998],[3.2999999999999998],[3.2999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002]],[[18],[17.800000000000001],[18.899999999999999],[13],[12.4],[14.199999999999999],[15.699999999999999],[20],[23.100000000000001],[21.199999999999999],[18.899999999999999],[17.300000000000001],[14.4],[14.199999999999999],[13.699999999999999],[13.1],[13.300000000000001],[12.9],[13.300000000000001],[14.199999999999999],[16.800000000000001],[17.399999999999999],[20.199999999999999],[21.100000000000001],[21.600000000000001],[22.199999999999999],[20.699999999999999],[22.199999999999999],[22.300000000000001],[22.600000000000001],[24.699999999999999],[24.800000000000001],[25.199999999999999],[27.899999999999999],[28.600000000000001],[29.399999999999999],[30.699999999999999],[30.600000000000001],[29.600000000000001],[30],[31.600000000000001],[30.899999999999999],[31.600000000000001],[32.700000000000003],[31.300000000000001],[32.5],[32.100000000000001],[32.5],[31.699999999999999],[31.800000000000001],[40.399999999999999],[44.799999999999997],[51.100000000000001],[53.5],[45.799999999999997],[40.299999999999997],[34.100000000000001],[29.899999999999999],[25.399999999999999],[21.300000000000001],[18.600000000000001],[17.399999999999999],[14.800000000000001],[13.699999999999999],[14.5]],[[14.199999999999999],[13.699999999999999],[12.300000000000001],[11.5],[13.800000000000001],[13.6],[16.100000000000001],[19.100000000000001],[18.800000000000001],[19.800000000000001],[18.600000000000001],[18.600000000000001],[19.699999999999999],[19.600000000000001],[20],[21.199999999999999],[21.399999999999999],[21],[28.199999999999999],[27.600000000000001],[27.800000000000001],[30.399999999999999],[30.899999999999999],[34.799999999999997],[35.399999999999999],[36.700000000000003],[38.100000000000001],[37],[39.100000000000001],[40.700000000000003],[44.100000000000001],[46],[47.700000000000003],[47],[49.200000000000003],[49.399999999999999],[47.799999999999997],[46.899999999999999],[39.5],[38.200000000000003],[36.799999999999997],[36.5],[35.600000000000001],[35.399999999999999],[36.5],[35.799999999999997],[40.200000000000003],[40.399999999999999],[41.899999999999999],[41.799999999999997],[36.100000000000001],[32.399999999999999],[27.399999999999999],[26.800000000000001],[31.899999999999999],[37.5],[40.799999999999997],[41],[32.899999999999999],[30.100000000000001],[28.5],[26.399999999999999],[23.199999999999999],[19.600000000000001],[16.699999999999999]],[[27.699999999999999],[28],[26.600000000000001],[30.800000000000001],[28.699999999999999],[27.600000000000001],[28.699999999999999],[24.699999999999999],[25.300000000000001],[26.800000000000001],[27.300000000000001],[27.100000000000001],[28.100000000000001],[28],[31.899999999999999],[31.399999999999999],[30.5],[30.899999999999999],[24],[24.399999999999999],[23.199999999999999],[21.899999999999999],[19.899999999999999],[18.399999999999999],[18.399999999999999],[17.800000000000001],[18.600000000000001],[18.600000000000001],[18],[17.399999999999999],[14.9],[13.9],[12.1],[11.6],[10.6],[9.9000000000000004],[10.4],[11.5],[21.300000000000001],[21.899999999999999],[22.199999999999999],[22.5],[23.100000000000001],[22.300000000000001],[22.399999999999999],[20.899999999999999],[14.5],[13.9],[13.6],[13],[8.4000000000000004],[7.2000000000000002],[7],[7.0999999999999996],[7],[7.5],[7.5999999999999996],[8.8000000000000007],[10.300000000000001],[12.6],[14.4],[16.5],[18.399999999999999],[20.399999999999999],[20.300000000000001]],[[22.600000000000001],[22.100000000000001],[22.300000000000001],[24.399999999999999],[25.800000000000001],[27.300000000000001],[25.399999999999999],[24],[21.5],[20.100000000000001],[20.300000000000001],[20.800000000000001],[20.399999999999999],[19.899999999999999],[16.699999999999999],[15.9],[15.6],[16],[16],[16.5],[15.5],[14.5],[13.800000000000001],[11.5],[10.800000000000001],[10.199999999999999],[9.3000000000000007],[9.4000000000000004],[9],[8.4000000000000004],[7.7999999999999998],[7.0999999999999996],[6.5999999999999996],[5.7000000000000002],[5],[5.0999999999999996],[5.5],[5.4000000000000004],[4.5999999999999996],[4.5],[4.2000000000000002],[4.4000000000000004],[4.0999999999999996],[4.2999999999999998],[4.5999999999999996],[5.2000000000000002],[6.2999999999999998],[6.5],[6.2999999999999998],[6.0999999999999996],[6.5],[5.5],[4.5999999999999996],[4.4000000000000004],[5.4000000000000004],[6],[7.7000000000000002],[9.1999999999999993],[20.199999999999999],[23.300000000000001],[24.5],[25.100000000000001],[27.399999999999999],[29.199999999999999],[31]],[[13.199999999999999],[14.1],[15.199999999999999],[15.300000000000001],[14.6],[12.699999999999999],[9.4000000000000004],[7.4000000000000004],[6.5999999999999996],[6.7999999999999998],[9.4000000000000004],[10.5],[11],[11.300000000000001],[10.4],[11.1],[11.699999999999999],[12.300000000000001],[11.9],[10.699999999999999],[9.8000000000000007],[8.5],[7.0999999999999996],[6.0999999999999996],[5.9000000000000004],[5.2000000000000002],[4.2999999999999998],[4],[3.2999999999999998],[3],[2.7000000000000002],[2.6000000000000001],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[1.8],[1.7],[1.6000000000000001],[1.5],[1.3999999999999999],[1.2],[1],[1.3],[1.2],[1.5],[2],[2.2999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999],[3.2999999999999998],[3.1000000000000001],[3.5],[4.7000000000000002],[4.9000000000000004],[5.4000000000000004],[5.7999999999999998],[5],[5.5999999999999996],[6.5999999999999996],[8],[9.3000000000000007],[10.6],[11.300000000000001],[13],[14],[14.4]]]

[]

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a. Index series is original, total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.
b. Share of jobs that experienced a wage change, smoothed using a four quarter trailing average.

Individual arrangements drive quarterly wage inflation

By method of setting pay, jobs covered by individual arrangement contributed over half of WPI quarterly growth in March quarter 2024.

Enterprise agreements had less influence on overall wage growth compared to the same period last year. This partly reflects that there were fewer new enterprise agreements this quarter. In addition, many of last March quarter’s new agreements paid second tranche increases in 2023 rather than on the anniversary of the new agreement.

Contributions to quarterly wage growth by method of setting pay, original (a)(b)(c)
	Enterprise Agreement (pp)	Individual Arrangement (pp)	Award (pp)
Mar-19	0.21	0.18	0.04
Jun-19	0.20	0.20	0.01
Sep-19	0.31	0.33	0.29
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	0.20	0.22	0.11
Jun-21	0.09	0.19	0.01
Sep-21	0.32	0.41	0.17
Dec-21	0.22	0.30	0.13
Mar-22	0.20	0.28	0.01
Jun-22	0.18	0.36	0.00
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	0.00
Sep-23	0.66	0.74	0.63
Dec-23	0.45	0.39	0.12
Mar-24	0.21	0.34	0.02

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

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

[["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"],[[0.20999999999999999],[0.20000000000000001],[0.31],[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]],[[0.17999999999999999],[0.20000000000000001],[0.33000000000000002],[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]],[[0.040000000000000001],[0.01],[0.28999999999999998],[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]]]

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

Industry wage growth

The main contributors to WPI 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.

In terms of contribution, Professional, scientific and technical services was the main contributor to wages growth.

Quarterly contribution - industries
	Quarterly contribution
Professional, scientific and technical services	0.09
Education and training	0.07
Construction	0.06
Health care and social assistance	0.06
Financial and insurance services	0.05
Manufacturing	0.04
Administrative and support services	0.04
Wholesale trade	0.03
Transport, postal and warehousing	0.03
Public administration and safety	0.03
Mining	0.02
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	0.02
Retail trade	0.02
Accommodation and food services	0.01
Rental, hiring and real estate services	0.01
Other services	0.01
Information media and telecommunications	0.00
Arts and recreation services	0.00

Quarterly contribution - industries

["","Quarterly contribution"]

[["Professional, scientific and technical services","Education and training","Construction","Health care and social assistance","Financial and insurance services","Manufacturing","Administrative and support services","Wholesale trade","Transport, postal and warehousing","Public administration and safety","Mining","Electricity, gas, water and waste services","Retail trade","Accommodation and food services","Rental, hiring and real estate services","Other services","Information media and telecommunications","Arts and recreation services"],[[0.089999999999999997],[0.070000000000000007],[0.059999999999999998],[0.059999999999999998],[0.050000000000000003],[0.040000000000000001],[0.040000000000000001],[0.029999999999999999],[0.029999999999999999],[0.029999999999999999],[0.02],[0.02],[0.02],[0.01],[0.01],[0.01],[0],[0]]]

[]

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In terms of growth rates:

The Electricity, gas, water and waste services industry recorded the highest quarterly rise (1.2%), contributing to this industry recording its highest annual wage growth since March quarter 2013 (4.4%).
The Information media and telecommunications industry recorded the lowest quarterly rise in wages (0.1%).
The Health care and social assistance industry recorded the highest through the year wage growth of 5.3%.
Arts and recreation services and Other services recorded the lowest through the year growth at 3.1%.

Annual and quarterly movement - industries (a)
	Annual Change (%)	Quarterly Change (%)
Mining	3.8	0.5
Manufacturing	4.0	0.5
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	4.4	1.2
Construction	4.2	0.7
Wholesale trade	3.4	0.8
Retail trade	4.4	0.3
Accommodation and food services	4.0	0.2
Transport, postal and warehousing	4.3	0.7
Information media and telecommunications	3.7	0.1
Financial and insurance services	3.6	1.1
Rental, hiring and real estate services	3.7	0.3
Professional, scientific and technical services	3.6	0.7
Administrative and support services	4.3	0.8
Public administration and safety	3.2	0.4
Education and training	4.1	0.8
Health care and social assistance	5.3	0.4
Arts and recreation services	3.1	0.3
Other services	3.1	0.5
All industries	4.1	0.6

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"],[[3.7999999999999998],[4],[4.4000000000000004],[4.2000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999],[4.4000000000000004],[4],[4.2999999999999998],[3.7000000000000002],[3.6000000000000001],[3.7000000000000002],[3.6000000000000001],[4.2999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996],[5.2999999999999998],[3.1000000000000001],[3.1000000000000001],[4.0999999999999996]],[[0.5],[0.5],[1.2],[0.69999999999999996],[0.80000000000000004],[0.29999999999999999],[0.20000000000000001],[0.69999999999999996],[0.10000000000000001],[1.1000000000000001],[0.29999999999999999],[0.69999999999999996],[0.80000000000000004],[0.40000000000000002],[0.80000000000000004],[0.40000000000000002],[0.29999999999999999],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"5.5","tick_interval":"0.5","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

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

State and territory wage growth

Original estimates:

Tasmania recorded the highest quarterly wage rise (1.6%). South Australia and the Northern Territory had the lowest growth at 0.4%.
Tasmania had the highest annual wage movement at 4.9%. The Australian Capital Territory had the lowest through the year movement at 3.2% followed by Victoria at 3.6%.

Annual and quarterly movement - states and territories (a)
	Annual change (%)	Quarterly change (%)
NSW	4.2	0.6
VIC	3.6	0.6
QLD	4.6	0.7
SA	3.8	0.4
WA	4.2	0.6
TAS	4.9	1.6
NT	4.1	0.4
ACT	3.2	0.5
Australia	4.1	0.6

Annual and quarterly movement - states and territories (a)

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

[["NSW","VIC","QLD","SA","WA","TAS","NT","ACT","Australia"],[[4.2000000000000002],[3.6000000000000001],[4.5999999999999996],[3.7999999999999998],[4.2000000000000002],[4.9000000000000004],[4.0999999999999996],[3.2000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996]],[[0.59999999999999998],[0.59999999999999998],[0.69999999999999996],[0.40000000000000002],[0.59999999999999998],[1.6000000000000001],[0.40000000000000002],[0.5],[0.59999999999999998]]]

[]

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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}]

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

Survey impacts and changes

Seasonal adjustment and trend

In June 2020, due to the large and unusual impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the private and All Sector series of the Wage Price Index were moved to the “forward factors” method for seasonal adjustment. This method (as described in the article on Methods changes due to COVID-19) is better suited in an uncertain environment as the seasonal factors are fixed for a 12 month period. The public sector series remained using the “concurrent” adjustment method, as the disruption was not observed in this sector. The trend estimates were suspended for all series at this time.

The ABS completed their annual review of seasonal adjustment in the WPI in June 2022 and as a result reverted all series to “concurrent” adjustment, as the series had stabilised. The ABS also reinstated the trend estimates for all series in the WPI in June 2022.

Data downloads

I-Note

The wage price indexes in Tables 1, 2b, 3b, 4b, 5b, 7b, 8b and 9b are updated and released every quarter. The corresponding financial year wage price indexes in Tables 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 7a, 8a and 9a are updated and released each June quarter for the preceding financial year. There are no financial year indexes created for Table 1.

Download all (1.14 MB)

Time series spreadsheets

Data files

Table 1. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector, original, seasonally adjusted and trend
Download xlsx [63.6 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 [51.34 KB]
Table 2b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [65.36 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 [51.35 KB]
Table 3b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: private sector by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [65.33 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 [51.41 KB]
Table 4b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: public sector by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [65.85 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 [74.41 KB]
Table 5b. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [140.47 KB]
Table 7a. Hourly rates of pay including bonuses: sector, original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [49.22 KB]
Table 7b. Hourly rates of pay including bonuses: sector, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [58.37 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 [51.37 KB]
Table 8b. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: all sectors by state, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [65.37 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 [74.35 KB]
Table 9b. Ordinary hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses: sector by industry, original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [140.48 KB]
All WPI series: original (quarterly index numbers)
Download xlsx [132.37 KB]
All WPI Series: original (financial year index numbers for year ended June quarter)
Download xlsx [85.17 KB]

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

Data files

Download xlsx [164.78 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

The quarterly WPI measures change in the price of wages and salaries in the Australian Labour market over time.

Geography

Quarterly WPI data is published at the national, sector, state and industry level.

Source

Prices for a range of jobs are collected from a sample of private and public sector employers undertaking economic activity across Australia.

Collection method

Prices are collected on a quarterly basis via electronic collection.

Concepts, sources and methods

Information about the data sources and methods used to compile WPI is 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

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APA

Wage Price Index, Australia

APA

Key statistics

Main features

Overview

Sector wage growth

Quarterly wage dynamics

Private sector

Public sector

Annualised wage changes

Individual arrangements drive quarterly wage inflation

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)

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

Create your own tables and visualisations with Data Explorer

Previous catalogue number

Using price indexes

Price indexes in contracts

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

Scope

Geography

Source

Collection method

Concepts, sources and methods

History of changes

Media releases

Annual wages growth 4.1% in March quarter 2024

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