Australian earnings growth slows to 1.6% in May

• Average weekly earnings for full-time adults reached $2,083.70 in May, marking a slowdown in growth.
• Public sector earnings rose 2.3% while private sector earnings increased 1.4% over the six-month period.
• The national gender pay gap for full-time ordinary earnings narrowed to its lowest recorded level at 11.3%.

Average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults in Australia rose to $2,083.70 in May, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Growth in average weekly earnings for full-time adults slowed to 1.6% for the six months to May, which marked the lowest six-monthly rate since May 2022.

"Growth in average weekly earnings for full-time adults for the six months to May was 1.6%," said ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick.

Annual growth to May reached 3.7%, representing the lowest annual increase recorded since November 2022.

Public sector average weekly earnings increased by 2.3% over the six-month period, outpacing the private sector growth rate of 1.4%.

Queensland recorded the largest earnings growth among all states at 2.5%, followed by the Northern Territory at 2.2%.

The transport, postal and warehousing sector led all industries with 4.3% growth, while the national gender pay gap narrowed to 11.3%.