A Fifth Of Australian Workers Top $1400 A Week

April 15 2009 - Australian Bureau of Statistics results, just released, show that in August 2008, 19.1% of Australian employees earned $1400 or more per week.

On average, full-time adult workers - the majority of employees - received total cash earnings of $1258.60 a week. This compared with $964.80 for all employees. Full-time male employees averaged $1335.20 in total weekly cash earnings - far higher than their female equivalents who received just $1080.90. But part-time female workers earned a bit more ($448.50) than part-time male employees ($421.00).

There was a considerable variation between industrial sectors with average weekly total cash earnings for all employees ranging from $451.60 in the accommodation and food services industry to $2038.30 in the mining industry.

Three-quarters of the workforce had pay set by a collective agreement (39.9%) or a registered or unregistered individual arrangement (37.7%). Men were more likely to have earnings set by a registered or unregistered individual arrangement (42.1%), while women were more likely to be governed by a collective agreement (43.1%).

Professional, scientific and technical services employees were most likely to have pay set by individual arrangement, while accommodation and food services employees were the most likely to have pay set by an award or pay scale (52.3%).

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