Victorian sectors with biggest pay hikes revealed

These are the jobs in Victoria where workers are cashing in with the biggest pay rises, with some earning hikes up to 15 per cent.

Workers in the science sector are pocketing pay rises up to 15 per cent in Victoria.

Workers in science, ­information and communication technology are pocketing pay rises of up to 15 per cent in Victoria, new data reveals.

Figures from Employment Hero show that Victorian workers in those three sectors enjoyed the biggest rises in the nation, median pay rates growing by 12.2 per cent in a year.

Other sectors with strong wages growth were construction and trade, which enjoyed median 7.6 per cent increases.

Wages in general rose 3.1 per cent in the year to September, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

But one economist is warning these high levels cannot be sustained as Australians continue to be caught short by ­inflation and interest rate rises.

Judo Bank economic ­Adviser Warren Hogan said wages were always going to rise because people needed more money to pay their skyrocketing bills.

Mr Hogan said people had been suffering “deeply negative” real wages.

But the issue facing the economy next year was wages being too high.

“Wages can comfortably grow at 3 to 3.5 per cent and we should be able to have inflation at 2-3 per cent, that is the target,” he said. “But if wages go to 5 per cent across the economy, it’s going to be near impossible to get inflation down.”

Mr Hogan said a recession had to be avoided. He said he believed interest rates would end up at about 4 per cent, adding they needed to get close to inflation to bring the economy back into balance.

Nationally, increases in ­median hourly rates across manufacturing, transport and logistics also sat at 7.6 per cent. Victoria had the lowest level of annual growth in the median rate at 4.2 per cent.

The state also had below ­average growth in rates in health care and community services.

Data from almost two million employees and more than 220,000 small and medium businesses nationwide show that median wages rose by 8.6 per cent in the year. Victoria’s median hourly rate, $35, is on par with the national figure.

But Employment Hero chief executive Ben Thompson said median pay rates differed across age brackets.

“While under 18s and 18-24s experienced growth, this was not the same for 25 to 65-plus,” Mr Thompson said. “For 65-plus … the median hourly rate has not changed in three consecutive months.”