Wage price index rose 0.8% in March quarter: ABS
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The news: The wage price index rose 0.8% in the March quarter, bringing annual wage growth to 3.3% year-on-year, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The context: The ABS reported that the public sector outpaced the private sector in wage growth for the fifth consecutive quarter, however the gap has narrowed substantially.
On an annual basis, private sector wage growth slowed to 3.2%, down from the 3.4% recorded in the December quarter. Public sector wage growth fell to 3.3%, down significantly from 4% in the prior quarter.
According to the ABS, the healthcare and social assistance industry was the primary contributor to wage growth over the quarter, rising 19%, while administrative and support services recorded the lowest growth through the year at 2.8%.
What they said: “A major Commonwealth funded initiative in the Early Childhood Education and Care workforce saw wage rises paid in the private sector for this industry, while Queensland hospital health care workers were the main driver of public growth,” ABS head of prices statistics Sue-Ellen Luke said.
