WA wages highest of the states
Issue Date: - Thursday, 5 February 2009
A snapshot of the Western Australian economy last year shows a record number of people in work taking home the highest average wages of all the states.
The Department of Commerce Labour Market Bulletin for the final quarter of 2008 shows employment in Western Australia peaked with 1,174,800 people in work in November last year, a rise of over 50,000 on 2007.
More than half the working population were engaged in five main industries, headed by retail, property and services, construction, manufacturing and health and community services. The mining industry came in as the seventh largest employer.
The average full time wage according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics was $1,292.60 a week , considerably higher than the national average.
Throughout last year Western Australia also had the lowest unemployment rate of all the states, and much lower than the national average.
The Labour Market Bulletin for the final quarter of 2008 can be downloaded from the Department of Commerce Labour Relations Website on http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/LabourRelations/PDF/Newsletters/LabourMarketBulletinissue25.pdf
Labour Relations Division, Department of Commerce.
Phone (08) 9222 7634 Mobile 0407 424 129
Email rick.powell@commerce.wa.gov.au