The jobs where wages are climbing most

The wage price index rose 0.6 per cent over the period, bringing the annual growth rate to 2.2 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has confirmed.

CommSec said both figures were in line with expectations.

Private sector wages growth continued to outpace the public sector, up 2.4 per cent annually.

ABS head of prices statistics Michelle Marquardt said the seasonally adjusted figures showed the return of a more regular September quarter pattern of wage growth following labour market disruptions through 2020 and 2021.

“Wage and salary reviews around the end of the financial year, scheduled enterprise agreements and annual award rises all contributed to growth,” she said.

“Pockets of wage pressure continued to build for skilled construction-related, technical and business services roles, leading to larger ad hoc rises as businesses looked to retain experienced staff and attract new staff.”

Professional, scientific and technical services sectors gained the most, with wages lifting 1.3 per cent over the quarter and 3.4 over the year – both the highest growth rate across all industries in the quarter and the highest for this sector since the December quarter in 2012.

The mining industry recorded the lowest quarterly rise of just 0.4 per cent.

The data showed both workers on individual arrangements and enterprise bargaining agreements had been affected by various wage freezes since the pandemic began, extending the time between wage rises to over a year.

In Tasmania – where CommSec’s State of the States report has ranked its economy the nation’s top performer for seven straight quarters – the country’s highest wage rise was recorded for the fourth consecutive quarter.

At 2.7 per cent, the Apple Isle had its highest annual rate of growth since June 2013.

Originally published as Construction, technical and business services employers extend ‘ad hoc’ pay rise carrots seeking to keep staff