Australian wages are outpacing inflation at the moment. But some sectors are doing better than others. (Source: Getty\/Yahoo Finance) <\/p>\n
Australian wages growth is, for once, actually pretty okay right now. The latest official data on wages<\/a> is out and it shows that on average, hourly wages are growing faster than inflation. That means \u2013 finally \u2013 Australians are getting ahead.<\/p>\n But not everyone is equal. Some parts of the country are going far better than others. And at the same time, some industries have the afterburners on<\/a>, zooming ahead and making workers far richer. While other industries are dawdling and slumping, leaving their workers behind.<\/p>\n So where\u2019s the money? Let\u2019s dive in and find out if you are in one of the hot-zones, or if you\u2019re stuck in a rut.<\/p>\n RELATED<\/strong><\/p>\n First, we break it down by state. The country is a patchwork, as the next chart shows. The west is wild, while Tasmania is slower.<\/p>\n The two biggest states have no difference between them \u2013 and either do South Australia or the ACT. Meanwhile Queensland wages are growing a bit faster than their southern neighbours.<\/p>\n But these are just averages and what is happening industry by industry helps determines who can put a new Hilux in the driveway versus who can\u2019t.<\/p>\n When we look industry by industry we can get more fine grain data on who is wining the wages race.<\/p>\n The answer? Surprisingly, it is waiters and shop assistants.<\/p>\n The next chart shows the most recent three-month period, and which industries saw the biggest leaps in hourly pay. The big pay rises have been in jobs that serve customers directly, while some of the classic high-paying jobs, IT and finance, have been at the other end of the spectrum, getting weak pay rises.<\/p>\n But the longer-term picture shows that waiters and baristas are just having one good quarter, really. As the next chart shows, in the long run its doctors and nurses, counsellors and occupational therapists who have been doing best.<\/p>\n It pays off to work in electricity and gas, apparently. Those massive power bills we are all paying are going, partly, into the pockets of the people who work in the industry.<\/p>\n The thing about wage data is it covers all workers, from the youngest apprentice to the CEO. There\u2019s always new workers staring while old people retire. The data measures the wages growth of the whole workforce on average.<\/p>\n This chart shows the breakdown. Most jobs are getting 3-4 per cent wages growth<\/p>\n But an individual is not a job. They can move up the ranks. Start at the bottom, knowing nothing and getting paid next to nothing. Before long you\u2019ve got some responsibility and your pay goes up accordingly.<\/p>\n An analogy is maybe how the average of Australians might have risen from 38 to 40 over the last 20 years but your own age has gone up by more in that same time period! So think about these numbers as a bare minimum you should be expecting to receive.<\/p>\n The average wage might have risen by 35 per cent over the last ten years, but a person who started working ten years ago? They should have seen their pay go up by more than that. Much more.<\/p>\n They began their career at $50,000 and now they are on $100,000, for example. If your wage has gone up by average wages growth alone, you\u2019re probably not getting paid enough – or your skills aren\u2019t going up enough.<\/p>\n The averages can help you but the best way to get ahead is to be more valuable.<\/p>\n Get the latest Yahoo Finance news – follow us on <\/strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>LinkedIn<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n (Source: ABS\/Wage Price Index\/Yahoo Finance) <\/p>\n
(Source: ABS\/Wage Price Index\/Yahoo Finance) <\/p>\n
(Source: ABS\/Wage Price Index\/Yahoo Finance) <\/p>\n
(Source: ABS\/Wage Price Index\/Yahoo Finance) <\/p>\n