This Month
First private nurses strikes, as ‘Pied Piper’ effect hits
The first strikes by medical staff at private hospitals follow mass walkouts at public medical centres by nurses as wages pressure bleeds from one sector to another.
- David Marin-Guzman
Public servant wages outpace private for the first time since 2020
Annual wage growth fell to 3.5 per cent in September from 4.1 per cent in June, as pay growth slowed on the back of a cooling economy.
- Updated
- Michael Read
NSW nurses strike heaps wage pressure on Minns government
NSW Premier Minns has refused to budge on his pay offer for nurses as the state government faces wage pressure off the back of its landmark deal with police.
- David Marin-Guzman
October
Wages hurt by non-compete work contracts
The government has seized on new research showing workers locked in jobs via non-compete clauses are paid 4 per cent less on average than staff who can switch jobs easier.
- John Kehoe
September
Fee increase for retirees to cover extra $3.8b in aged care wages
The government will spend another $3.8 billion on aged care sector wages, taking the total cost of the pay increase to almost $18 billion.
- Phillip Coorey
- Exclusive
- Construction
Pay deals keep tradies in line with Big Mac index, but teachers lag
Annual wage growth close to 5 per cent for the past two decades has put CFMEU construction workers ahead of other employees, new earnings analysis shows.
- Michael Bleby
August
People think our job is boring: accountants lament image problem
Almost half of surveyed accountants and bookkeepers believe their industry has an image problem, and most say the sector is seen as boring.
- Edmund Tadros
Real wages fall to near 14-year low, bucking Chalmers’ pay claims
Consumer prices increased by 2 per cent over the six months to June on a seasonally adjusted basis, while wages grew by just 1.7 per cent.
- Michael Read
- Updated
- Interest rates
Public servant pay rises push wage growth to 14-year high
Experts say the data probably marks the peak in wage growth, and the gradual slowdown in the job market is expected to bring smaller pay rises in the coming year.
- Updated
- Michael Read
- Updated
- Inflation
Public servant pay growth to outstrip private sector wages
A slowdown in the jobs market is forcing private sector workers to rein in their pay demands while state premiers abandon public servant salary caps.
- Michael Read
Workers told to expect lower nominal pay rises as economy cools
Employers expect to lift salaries by an average of 3.8 per cent this financial year, as mounting evidence suggests pay rises have passed their recent peak.
- Euan Black
July
Aged care pay rise delayed due to Labor funding decision
Pay rises for 250,000 aged care workers of up to 14 per cent – likely costing up to $5 billion extra in government funding – have been delayed until next year.
- David Marin-Guzman
June
- Exclusive
- Industrial relations
Union bans delay $1.7b transport link to Western Sydney Airport
Industrial action has delayed the critical interchange for the city’s second airport by months and is sending subcontractors close to the wall.
- Campbell Kwan and David Marin-Guzman
- Exclusive
- Industrial relations
Nurses identify ‘$1.2bn’ in savings for 15 per cent pay rise
Deloitte’s report for the NSW nurses’ union found the state government may have missed out on more than $3 billion in Commonwealth funding due to inaccurate data.
- David Marin-Guzman
How higher building costs will shape the Brisbane Olympics
High labour costs will put pressure on the construction sector, forcing changes in how new projects are procured.
- Michael Bleby
Government urged to add accountants, auditors to fast-track visa list
Eleven accounting, auditing and data-related roles need to be added to a new list of occupations eligible for fast-tracked migrant visas due to ongoing labour shortages, say two major professional bodies.
- Edmund Tadros
Westpac’s chief economist Luci Ellis’ sliding doors moment
It is rare people can point to a single, pivotal, life-changing moment but two events, 30 years apart, have shaped her career.
- Ronald Mizen
- Opinion
- Mathias Cormann
Fair Work decision gives Labor another chance to run its wages fib
The former government never embarked on a deliberate strategy to suppress wages. But you wouldn’t know it.
- Phillip Coorey
- Updated
- Minimum wage
Weak productivity halts minimum wage rise
The Fair Work Commission has warned that stalled productivity and falling profits in the retail and hospitality industries remain barriers to reversing the fall in real wages since the pandemic.
- Updated
- David Marin-Guzman
May
- Exclusive
- Industrial relations
Qld union’s 13pc pay rise may spoil energy relief
One of the biggest first-year pay rises in the country could add 30 per cent to costs, as Labor rolls out $1300 in household energy relief ahead of the October state election.
- David Marin-Guzman