Minimum wage and average salaries in Australia 

Australia has a strong economy consisting of several vibrant industries. It attracts many overseas professionals from a variety of countries each year. But what can you expect in terms of salary? Is there a minimum wage, and how do average salaries compare globally?

Read on to learn all about wages and the average salary in Australia. Sections include:

What is the minimum wage in Australia?

Australia was one of the first countries in the world to establish a minimum wage system, dating back to the Harvester Judgment in 1907.

Today’s minimum wage in Australia is enshrined in the Fair Work Act 2009. The Fair Work Commission sets the national minimum wage each July. The current minimum wage, effective from 1 July 2025, is AUD 24.95 per hour (or AUD per week for a full 38-hour week).

Although this is the national minimum, many Australian industries have higher minimums that are laid out in awards or enterprise agreements.

The minimum wage in Australia also applies to part-time, fixed-term, and casual workers. Because casual employees don’t have benefit entitlements such as paid leave or redundancy, they get ‘casual loading‘ which is an additional payment of 25% on top of the minimum wage.

Minimum wage in Australia: exclusions and variations

Young people in Australia

Workers aged under 21 in Australia are entitled to junior pay rates rather than the national minimum wage. This is also known as the Special National Minimum Wage 3. Current rates are (from 1 July 2025):

Age	% of adult national minimum wage	Hourly rate
Under 16	36.8%	AUD 9.18
16	47.3%	AUD 11.80
17	57.8%	AUD 14.42
18	68.3%	AUD 17.04
19	82.5%	AUD 20.58
20	97.7%	AUD 24.38

Employees aged under 21 may be entitled to higher rates if they work in an industry covered by an award or enterprise agreement that specifies higher minimum pay for this group.

Apprentices and trainees in Australia

Apprentices and trainees have lower minimum wage entitlements in Australia (Special National Minimum Wage 4 and 5). There is no set minimum rate. Instead, minimum pay is based on factors such as:

• Age
• Year of apprenticeship, or training level
• Type of apprenticeship/training

As with junior pay rates, apprentices and trainees may receive higher than minimum rates if they work in an industry with higher rates specified in an award or agreement.

Employees with disabilities in Australia

Employees in Australia with a disability which limits their productivity are entitled to the Special Minimum Wage 2. This is a percentage of the standard national minimum wage determined by their rate of productivity under the Supported Wage System.

For example, if an employee has a disability that means they are 70% as productive as other workers, they will be entitled to a minimum of 70% of the national minimum wage. The minimum payment is currently AUD 109 per week (2025).

Employee rates are assessed by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). As with other groups, minimum rates may be higher if protected by an award or enterprise.

Self-employed workers and freelancers in Australia

The minimum wage in Australia does not cover self-employed workers and freelancers, who are not legally classed as employees who are paid a wage or salary.

Minimum wage calculator in Australia

You can use this government pay calculator to work out your hourly or weekly wage entitlement in Australia.

Salaries and wages for international workers in Australia

According to government statistics, 26.3% of Australia’s workforce was foreign-born in 2019-20. Nearly half of migrant workers were from New Zealand.

Data also shows that migrants have less than average personal income. The median annual personal income for migrants in Australia was AUD 45,351 in 2019-20, compared with an overall population average of AUD 52,388. The state/territory with highest migrant earnings was the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) with AUD 52,439. The lowest was Tasmania (AUD 31,093).

The biggest employment sectors for international workers in Australia include:

• Healthcare and social assistance
• Professional, scientific, and technical services
• Construction
• Hospitality
• Manufacturing and logistics

As an international worker earning a salary in Australia, you’ll likely need to manage money across different currencies – whether you’re sending funds home to family, paying bills in your home country, or building savings in multiple currencies. Services like Wise allow you to hold and convert money in 40 currencies using the mid-market exchange rate, which could help you keep more of your hard-earned salary compared to using banks for international transfers. Many expats use a Wise account alongside their local bank account to manage their cross-border finances more efficiently.

What is the average salary in Australia?

According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the average gross weekly salary in Australia is AUD 2,051.10 for full-time work (November 2025). This equates to an average annual salary of around AUD 106,657. The overall average (full- and part-time) is AUD 1,563.20, which represents a 22% increase since December 2020.

Australia has the 8th highest net monthly salary in the world, according to Numbeo (2026). It also has the top seven highest-wage cities in the Oceania region – Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Canberra, Gold Coast, and Adelaide.

Here are the average gross weekly earnings for each state and territory (November 2025):

State/territory	Average gross weekly earnings (full-time)
Australia Capital Territory (ACT)	AUD 2,248.40
Western Australia	AUD 2,193.20
New South Wales	AUD 2,084.00
Victoria	AUD 2,013.70
Queensland	AUD 1,994.50
Northern Territory	AUD 1,942.30
South Australia	AUD 1,935.10
Tasmania	AUD 1,821.20

Average salary in Australia by sector

The average Australian salary varies across industries, professions, and sectors. According to the most recent ABS data, earnings are higher in the public sector. Average gross weekly full-time earnings are AUD 2,215.90, compared to AUD 2,006.00 in the private sector (November 2025).

Here is the average salary in Australia by industry (November 2025):

Industry	Average gross weekly earnings (full-time)
Mining	AUD 3,174.40
Manufacturing	AUD 1,833.40
Electricity, gas, water, and waste services	AUD 2,514.20
Construction	AUD 1,958.20
Wholesale trade	AUD 1,921.50
Retail trade	AUD 1,565.20
Accommodation and food services	AUD 1,501.60
Transport, postal, and warehousing	AUD 1,948.40
Information, media, and telecommunications	AUD 2,685.10
Financial and insurance services	AUD 2,338.60
Rental, hiring, and real estate services	AUD 1,958.00
Professional, scientific, and technical services	AUD 2,375.90
Administrative and support services	AUD 1,916.10
Public administration and safety	AUD 2,147.90
Education and training	AUD 2,153.40
Healthcare and social assistance	AUD 1,996.30
Art and recreation services	AUD 1,826.90
Other services	AUD 1,605.20

What are the highest paying jobs in Australia ?

Of course, salaries in Australia can vary significantly from the average, depending on factors such as profession and job level. According to the Hays Salary Guide 2025/26, the top five highest paying jobs in Australia are:

• Chief Executive Office (CEO) and Managing Director (MD): up to AUD 700,000 annual salary
• Head of Treasury/Accounts: up to AUD 410,000
• Sales Director: up to AUD 400,000
• Head/Director of Human Resources: up to AUD 400,000
• Commercial Construction Manager: up to AUD 400,000

According to Talent, the industries and professions with the highest paying annual salaries include (2026):

• Engineering (AUD 122,698): from Specialist Engineer (AUD 123,090) to Electrical Engineer (AUD 120,000).
• Banking, finance, and insurance (AUD 116,037): from Business Analyst (AUD 149,567) to Insurance Agent (AUD 70,000).
• Sales and marketing (AUD 110,543): from Sales Analyst (AUD 150,000) to Sales Representative (AUD 62,500).
• Science (AUD 103,981): from Physicist (AUD 140,000) to Lab Technician (AUD 76,518)
• Childcare and education (AUD 103,399): from Professor (AUD 175,207) to Nanny (AUD 69,160).

Salary checker in Australia

There are many different tools that allow you to check salaries in Australia, including:

• Talent
• Hays
• Payscale
• Glassdoor

Gender pay gap in Australia

The gender pay gap in Australia across all earnings was 21.1% in 2025, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). According to ABS weekly earnings data, it was 11.5% for full-time work and 27.5% across all earnings. State variations for full-time earnings range from 19.3% in Western Australia to 5.6% in ACT (November 2025).

Looking at the ABS data from November 2025 in more detail, here is the pay gap for full-time work across sectors and selected industries:

Sector/industry	Pay gap (full-time work)
Private sector	14%
Public sector	10.5%
Mining	13.9%
Retail trade	6.7%
Financial and insurance services	21.6%
Construction	3.9%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	20.2%
Education and training	7%

Australia ranks 13th out of 148 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index, which ranks nations according to various economic, political, and social factors. It ranks 10th on the 2025 OECD Glass Ceiling Index.

Australia’s recent moves to reduce the gender pay gap include:

• Requiring large employers with 500+ employees to commit to three gender equality targets over a three-year period.
• Establishing an annual Equal Pay Day.
• Passing the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment bill in 2023.

What to do if you’re not being paid the minimum wage in Australia

You can check if you are getting the minimum wage in Australia by using the FWO pay calculator. If you are being paid below minimum wage rates, you should take it up firstly with your employer. Intentional underpayment of wages is a criminal offense under the Fair Work Act 2009. Employers can face large fines – and company owners can even go to prison – for serious breaches of the law.

You can report your employer to the Fair Work Ombudsman if the matter doesn’t get resolved.

Research by the FWO has revealed that employers had to repay nearly AUD 1.76 billion in underpaid employees between 2019-24, and received fines totalling nearly AUD 2.8 million.

What to do if your salary is too low in Australia

If you’re receiving at least minimum wage but feel that your salary is too low, you should check your pay rate against a salary checker and raise the issue with your employer to begin with. You can pursue the matter externally if your wages show evidence of discrimination (e.g., if your salary is lower than colleagues due to factors such as race, gender, or age).

In this instance, you may be able to lodge a claim through the Fair Work Commission or the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do international workers have the same minimum wage rights as local workers?

Yes, under Australian employment laws all employees working in the country have the same minimum wage rights.

How often is minimum wage updated or reviewed?

The Fair Work Commission reviews and updates the minimum wage in Australia on an annual basis. The new rate usually takes effect from 1 July.

What’s the best way to send my salary back home as an international worker?

International workers have several options for sending money back home, including banks, money transfer options, and specialized services. Banks often charge higher fees and use marked-up exchange rates, which can reduce the amount your family receives.

Many expats choose services like Wise, which uses the mid-market exchange rate and transparent fees, potentially saving money on transfers compared to banks. When choosing a transfer service, compare the total cost – including both fees and the exchange rate – to see how much actually arrives at the destination.

Useful resources

• Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) – has information on the minimum wage in Australia and is the body for dealing with wage-related complaints (accessed 28 Feb 2026)
• Fair Work Commission (FWC) – sets the Australian minimum wage each year and can deal with issues relating to salary discrimination (accessed 28 Feb 2026)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – produces data and reports on earnings in Australia