“Since we’ve come to Government, average annualised nominal wages have been growing at 3.7%, much higher than the 2.2% under our predecessors,” he said in a statement. “The Government’s policies are driving strong and sustainable wage growth for workers.”
‘Strongest rate of annual real wage growth’
Australia’s real wages also rose by one percent over the year to March 2025, according to Australia’s Treasury.
“This is the strongest rate of annual real wage growth in five years,” Chalmers said. “Annual real wages have grown by more than 0.8% for three quarters in a row, which is the longest consistent run of real wage growth in almost ten years above that rate.”
Michele O’Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, also noted that the latest wage data is an indication that employees are “getting ahead.”
“Improved collective bargaining rights and fair pay won by union members under the Albanese Government are delivering real results for nurses, teachers, early childhood educators and aged care workers,” O’Neil said in a statement.