Resource states lead average earnings

Western Australians take home the second highest average annual wage in Australia at $71,706, beaten only by the residents of Canberra, according to new data.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nationally the average weekly wage is now $1257.20, after rising by 4.5 per cent in the year to August.

The ABS quarterly seasonally-adjusted pace of average weekly ordinary time earnings (AWOTE) rose 0.4 per cent in the three months to the end of August.

Residents of the ACT take home the highest average wage the nation at $75,937, followed by NSW ($66,248), Northern Territory ($64,745), Queensland ($64,405), Victoria ($63,809), South Australia ($59,355) and Tasmania ($57,127).

Wages rose most over the year in transport and storage (up 11.5 per cent), electricity, gas, water and waste services (up 10.7 per cent), public administration and safety (up 8.5 per cent) and mining (up 8.2 per cent).

Wages were weakest over the past year in rental hiring and real estate services (down 3.7 per cent) followed by health care and social assistance (down 0.1 per cent) and manufacturing (up 2.2 per cent).

The highest average wage is still found in the mining sector at $107,510 per year.

The lowest wage is obtained by workers in the accommodation and food services sector at $47,518.

CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian said the data highlighted what the Reserve Bank had been saying about the industrialisation of China and India leading to major shifts in Australia's economy.

"Wages in the mining sector are now more than double the earnings in the food sector like cafes and restaurants as well as across the retail sector," he said.

"And the resource states of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland are dominating the pay stakes."