According to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the Wage Price Index (WPI) rose by 0.5%, seasonally adjusted, in the December quarter in 2019. WPI also rose 2.2% through last year.

Victoria had the highest recorded wage growth of 2.6%. Western Australia had the lowest wage growth if 1.7%, making it the lowest for the sixth consecutive quarter.

The health care and social assistance industry’s annual wage growth in 2019 was high at 3.1%, while the information media and telecommunication services industry only rose by 1.6%.

Private sector wages grew at a faster rate than the public sector for the first time since 2012, with private growing at 0.5% and public growing at 0.4%.