What was the annual wage growth rate in Australia for the June quarter?

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ASX:ABS) reported that annual wage growth reached 3.2 per cent in the June quarter, following a quarterly increase of 0.8 per cent.

How does the current annual wage growth compare to previous periods?

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ASX:ABS) stated that annual wage growth slowed from the 3.4 per cent rate recorded at the same time in the previous year.

Which sector experienced higher wage growth between public and private work?

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ASX:ABS) noted that public sector wages increased by 3.4 per cent annually, outpacing private sector wage growth of 3.1 per cent over the same period.

What percentage of jobs experienced smaller wage changes over the 12 months?

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ASX:ABS) found that jobs experiencing a wage change of less than 4 per cent expanded to account for 79 per cent of the total over the past 12 months.

Economy

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Australian wage growth hits 3.2% in June quarter

Written by Heidi Cuthbert Published Aug 19, 2026, 2:35 AM

Annual wage growth slowed to 3.2% in the June quarter.
Public sector wages continued to outpace private sector growth for the sixth consecutive quarter.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics stated that a smaller share of jobs receiving larger wage rises contributed to the slower growth.

Australian wage growth reached 3.2% annually in the June quarter following a 0.8% quarterly increase recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The annual figure represents a decline from the 3.4 per cent rate registered at the same time in the previous year.

"Although we're currently below the late 2023 peak of 4.3%, annual wage growth remains above the 2.2% that we were seeing in the December quarter of 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rachael McCririck, Australian Bureau of Statistics head of prices statistics.

Public sector wages increased by 3.4% annually, while private sector wages rose by 3.1% over the same period.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics noted that public sector growth was primarily driven by state government service increases and scheduled Commonwealth enterprise agreement rises.

Data also showed that jobs experiencing a wage change of less than 4% over the past 12 months expanded to account for 79% of the total.