Public sector wages increase at second fastest pace in 14 years, ABS data shows

Public sector wages are up 3.9% in the last 12 months, thanks to a synchronised pay increase for the entire cohort in March, the ABS says. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Public sector wages have increased at the second-fastest pace in nearly fourteen years, largely thanks to a synchronised pay increase for the entire cohort in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said on Tuesday.

Public sector wages were up 0.9% in the June quarter, after increasing 0.6% in the March quarter – meaning pay packets had increased 3.9% in the last 12 months.