AUSTRALIAN WORKING CONDITIONS & WAGES
Australian working conditions are often considered some of the best in the world. Contributing to these high standards is the fact that Australian industrial relations are characterized by high union membership numbers and a federally driven, but state controlled, mandatory arbitration and conciliation system.
In Australia, there is now only 1 major central union association, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). "Awards" are the legal decisions made by independent industrial organizations and they specify the minimum standards of pay and working conditions that an employer must meet or otherwise face legal penalties.
According to the Bureau of Statistics, full-time earnings in Australia averaged A$57,387 per annum in 2007.
| AVERAGE WAGES BY STATE | |
|---|---|
STATE / REGION |
AVERAGE WAGE |
| Tasmania | $52,432 |
| Queensland | $53,732 |
| South Australia | $53,383 |
| Victoria | $56,820 |
| Northern Territory | $54,735 |
| Western Australia | $61,662 |
| New South Wales | $59,410 |
| Capital Territory | $66,950 |
Australia's best-paid workers are miners, whose ordinary earnings average AU$92,014 per annum. Australian wages are expected to continue rising faster than in most other western economies.
Australian working conditions are regulated by legislation and industrial awards. It is an agreement that has worked well over the years and the current economic climate is maintaining this. The average Australian working week is 37 hours, Monday to Friday, however this will vary according to your employer, your position and the type of industry in which you’re employed. A standard working day (without overtime) for a blue-collar worker is from 7 or 8am to 3.30 or 4.30pm, while working hours in most offices and shops are from 8.30 or 9.30am until 4.30 or 5.30pm, with an hour’s break for lunch.
Hours worked above the standard working week are paid at overtime rates of either time-and-a-half or double-time, depending on the award for that profession.
Certain employees, particularly in the public sector, operate on a flexi-time system. This allows them to work a set number of hours in a four week period but within that framework it is mainly up to them as to how they make up the hours. There is usually about four hours a day (core time) during which the employee must be at work station, other than that they are free to come and go at times which best suit them.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average age at retirement for recent retirees (those who retired in the last five years) was 60 years. Of this group, the difference between the retirement age of men and women was relatively small, with women retiring approximately three years younger than men (the average retirement age for men was 61.5 years for men and 58.3 years for women).
Many Australian employers have readily employed immigrant workers, especially in times of labour shortages. Migrants with the best prospects for finding employment in the Australian labour market include those with strong proficiency in the English language, recognised post-secondary qualifications and high skill levels.
