In a preliminary report on employee earnings released yesterday, the ABS said less than one-fifth, or 19.1%, of Australian workers earned more than $1400 a week. Mine workers beat that figure, earning an average of $2038.30 a week, more than four times the average wage of accommodation and food industry workers, who took in a much smaller weekly wage of $451.60. The results, from an August 2008 survey, found that adult full-time employees – who make up the majority of the workforce – received average total cash earnings of $1258.60 each week, compared to $964.80 for all employees. “Average weekly total cash earnings was higher for full-time male employees,” the ABS noted, with this group receiving $1335.20. Meanwhile, female employees earned $254.30, or 19.1%, less a week, with an average of $1080.90. In a surprising statistic, female part-time employees earned slightly more than male part-time employees – with a $448.50 average for women compared to $421.00 for men. The ABS said final estimates of the survey will be published in Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, August 2008, to be released in June.
