Australian employers face decrease in wages and salaries

According to the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on 21 June, employers in Australia paid lower wages and salaries in April compared to March. The total amount paid by employers saw a decrease of AUD 1.6 billion (USD 1.08 billion), which accounts for a 1.7% decline, resulting in a total of AUD 91.4 billion (USD 6.19 billion) for April.

Among the Australian states, Western Australia witnessed the most significant drop, with a decrease of 3.7% in April compared to the previous month. The ABS attributed this decline to the distribution of cyclical bonuses in the mining industry that took place in March, as Western Australia has a substantial number of workers employed in this sector.

Across the entire country, the mining industry experienced the most substantial decline in wages, registering a monthly decrease of 13.8%. The peak in mining wages and salaries occurred in March due to the aforementioned cyclical bonuses. Following closely behind, the rental, hiring, and real estate services industry saw the second-largest decrease in wages and salaries paid by employers, with a decline of 5.0%.

However, there were a few sectors that saw an increase in wages and salaries. The accommodation and food services industry took the lead with a 2.1% rise.

Despite Western Australia observing the largest decline in wages and salaries paid by employers, all states, as well as the Australian Capital Territory, experienced decreases as well. The only exception was the Northern Territory, which witnessed a 0.5% increase in wages and salaries paid by employers in April.

New South Wales recorded a decrease of 1.8% in total wages and salaries.