MOMONEYMOFREEThe median raise was 4.6%. Inflation ate most of it.
On paper, wages are growing. In the supermarket, they're not. The gap between the two is the only number that matters this week.
real wage growth once you subtract what prices actually did
This week’s 4 charts
tap any chart to preview ↗Wages vs prices
Pay rose. Prices rose faster for most of the run. The lines only just re-crossed.
Source: ABS Wage Price Index + CPI
Who actually got ahead
Real wage growth by pay quartile. The bottom did worst.
Source: ABS Employee Earnings (illustrative split)
Where the median earner sits
of Australians
$50K is the middle. A 4.6% raise on it is ~$2,300 — before tax and prices.
Source: ATO Taxation Statistics
Real wage growth, by state
Resource states held up. The southeast lagged.
Source: ABS WPI by state (illustrative)
Don't celebrate the raise — celebrate the gap. If your pay rise didn't clear inflation plus bracket creep, you took a quiet pay cut. Check the gap, not the number.
General information only — not financial advice. Figures are drawn from public sources, rounded and illustrative.