Employment costs up
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TOTAL hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses rose 0.5 per cent in Western Australia in the December quarter and 3.7 per cent on the year to December 2002, according to figures released from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The index of total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses for all employee jobs in Australia rose 0.8 per cent in the December quarter and 3.4 per cent over the year to December 2002.
On a by-industry basis communications and the electricity, gas and water supply sectors led the way with an increase of 4.5 per cent from the previous financial year.
Average weekly earnings for adults employed full-time in WA during the November quarter – the latest figures available from the ABS – rose 0.6 per cent.
That is below the national average weekly earnings rise of 1 per cent for the November quarter.
The ABS statistics also show that average weekly earnings rose 3.7 per cent nationally on the year to November.
In WA average weekly earnings rose 3.4 per cent on the year to November.
On a by-industry basis, mining led the way with the total full-time adult weekly wage of $1,533.60.
That was an increase of 2.3 per cent on the November quarter in 2001.