Which industries have the highest pay in Australia?

ABS report cites third drop in a row for gender pay gap

BY Jonalyn Cueto 24 Feb 2024

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the average Australian salary reached $1,888.80 per week or $98,217.60 in November.

This represents an increase of 4.5% year-on-year, according to Man of Many, with the public sector remaining the most lucrative on average — with males earning $2,183.30 per week and females earning $1,956.80 per week.

Bjorn Jarvis, ABS’s head of labour statistics, highlighted a significant narrowing in the gender pay gap, which now stands at 12%, down from 13% in May 2023, marking its lowest level on record.

“This was the third drop in the gender pay gap in a row, down to a new record low,” said Jarvis in news.com.au.

“This narrowing in the gap reflected stronger growth in average full-time earnings for women, 3.5 per cent over the past six months, compared with 2.3 per cent for men.”

Mining sector pulling up weekly earnings

Geographically, Western Australia ($2,108) and the Australian Capital Territory ($2,080) registered the highest average weekly earnings, while Tasmania ($1,670) and South Australia ($1,735) reported the lowest, said news.com.au.

Not surprisingly, the mining industry retained its status as the highest-paying sector, with full-time employees earning an average of $2,952 per week, according to the Man of Many report:

Male: $3,049.30 ($158,563.60 annually)
Female: $2,568.90 ($133,582.80 annually)

Source: Man of Many

Employees can expect a higher wage increase this year as HR professionals across Australia predict that the mean basic pay increase will hit 3.7% in the 12 months to January 2025, according to a recent survey.