New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has shown that workers in the mining industry, and males in particular, remain the highest paid in Australia on average, with full-time employees earning about $3,015 a week.
This was followed by those in information media and telecommunications ($2,437), and financial and insurance services ($2,283).
On the other end of the scale, the lowest paid workers on a full-time basis are in accommodation and food services ($1,421), with retail trade only a touch above ($1,454).
Overall, the ABS reports that the average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults in Australia was $1,923.40 a week in May 2024.
ABS Head of Labour Statistics Kate Lamb says average weekly earnings growth over the six months to May 2024 was 1.8% – around two thirds of the 2.8% growth seen over the six months to November 2023.
While growth in average weekly earnings slowed over the first half of 2024, we still saw relatively strong annual growth to May 2024 of 4.6%, or an extra $85 a week, Lamb says.
This was slightly higher than the 4.5% or $81 in the year to November 2023. This growth was underpinned by rises in both the private and public sectors, which both grew by 4.6% annually.
Meanwhile, in May 2024 the gender pay gap narrowed further to 11.5%, down from 12% in November 2023.
Lamb says this was the fourth six-monthly drop in the gender pay gap in a row, down to a new record low. The narrowing in the gap in May 2024 was underpinned by pay increases in the female-dominated education and training industry, she adds.
The average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time workers was highest in the Australian Capital Territory ($2,132) and Western Australia ($2,094), and lowest in Tasmania ($1,711) and South Australia ($1,777).
https://mining.com.au/mining-industry-again-tops-highest-earners-list-abs/
