FULL-TIME ordinary time average earnings in WA increased by 1.4 per cent to $948.7 a week between November and February 2004, in seasonally adjusted terms. Earnings rose by 6.4 per cent in the four quarters to February.
Australian seasonally adjusted weekly full-time ordinary time earnings rose by 1.2 per cent to $949.0 between November and February, to stand 5.3 per cent higher than in February 2003.
The broader, wage cost measure of labour cost movements typically shows smaller increases than average earnings. It probably gives a better indication of underlying pay movements than average earnings, as earnings are influenced by changes in the composition of the workforce. WA's Wage Cost Index increased by 3.1 per cent over the year and by 0.6 per cent over the quarter to March 2004, while Australia's Wage Cost Index rose by 0.8 per cent during the quarter and 3.6 per cent through the year.
Public sector wage costs have been growing significantly faster than private sector ones in the past year. In the four quarters to March, Australia's wage cost index for the public sector rose by 4.3 per cent, while the private sector index rose by 3.3 per cent.
Source: ABS Cat.6302.0; 6345.0