Average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults were $2,083.70 in May 2026, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Sean Crick, ABS head of labour statistics, said: “Growth in average weekly earnings for full-time adults for the six months to May 2026 was 1.6 per cent. This was the lowest six-monthly growth since May 2022.
“Annual growth to May 2026 was 3.7 per cent which was the lowest annual increase since November 2022.”
Public sector growth was stronger than in the private sector in the six months to May 2026.
“Public sector average weekly earnings rose by 2.3 per cent while the private sector rose by 1.4 per cent,” said Mr Crick.
All states and industries recorded six monthly rises in average earnings.
The industry with the strongest growth was Transport, postal and warehousing (4.3 per cent) followed by Wholesale trade (3.2 per cent).
Queensland had the largest growth of all the states of 2.5 per cent. This was followed by the Northern Territory, which rose by 2.2 per cent.
The gender pay gap in average weekly ordinary full-time earnings fell to its lowest recorded point of 11.3 per cent, down from 11.5 per cent in November 2025.
The gender pay gap in average weekly ordinary full-time earnings is the most commonly cited of the gender pay gap measures.
Find more data on our Average Weekly Earnings release page.
The ABS thanks businesses in Australia for their continued support in responding to our surveys.
