Year-on-year wages growth has remained flat at 2.3 per cent for consecutive quarters, firming up the Reserve Bank’s view that job market slack is limiting upward pressure on wages.
Wages growth for the year to June 30 remained stagnant despite total hourly rates of pay, excluding bonuses, beating expectations with a 0.6 per cent rise during the quarter.
The quarterly increase was fuelled by a 0.8 per cent rise in public sector wages, namely in the healthcare and social assistance industry, where a number of large increases were recorded in Victoria under a plan to ensure wage parity with other states.
Private sector wages rose by 0.5 per cent during the quarter, according to Wednesday’s seasonally adjusted figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The year-on-year wage price index growth, while in line with predictions for June, has remained in a range of 2.3 per cent to 2.4 per cent since the September quarter of 2018.
Economists said it was clear that spare labour market capacity was limiting growth.
“The data largely confirms the RBA’s view that spare capacity is limiting upward pressure on wages and the economy needs to generate more jobs to absorb the extra workers,” BIS Oxford Economics’ Sarah Hunter said.
Dr Hunter said the figures further cemented expectations the cash rate would be cut to a record low 0.75 per cent by the end of the year, and possibly cut again in early 2020.
The RBA reduced the cash rate to 1.0 per cent via consecutive cuts in June and July in a bid to encourage spending and boost employment.
Last week, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe urged the government to do more to lift wages growth, including increasing Newstart and boosting public service wages.
“We’re looking at 5 per cent unemployment, 2 per cent inflation, growth around trend and a budget balance,” he told the House of Representatives standing committee on economics.
“Are we happy with being OK or do we aspire to do something better? … I hope as an Australian we can do the latter.”
Callam Pickering, APAC economist at global job site Indeed, said the only saving grace for households was that inflation was even lower than wage growth.
“With the unemployment rate at 5.2 per cent and underutilisation rate at 13.5 per cent, there is still a huge amount of slack across the labour market,” he said.
Underutilisation needed to be closer to 12 per cent before wage growth rates were likely to hit 3 per cent or more.
“That won’t happen overnight, nor is it likely within the next year,” Mr Pickering said.
He predicted the persistent weakness would prompt the RBA to cut interest rates again before the end of the year, with more cuts likely in 2020.
In original terms, annual wages growth to the June quarter 2019 by industry ranged from 1.7 per cent for wholesale trade to 3.3 per cent for healthcare and social assistance.
Western Australia recorded the lowest annual wage growth of 1.6 per cent while Victoria recorded the highest of 2.9 per cent.
The Australian dollar edged lower after the figures were released, dropping from 68.03 US cents to 67.88 US cents by 1150 AEST.
-with AAP
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