The last inflation reading before the FWC's annual wage review decision has delivered a mixed result, with the Consumer Price Index down significantly compared to last month, but a key measure of underlying inflation up slightly.
Growth in private sector rates of pay excluding bonuses has eased to 3.2% a year in trend terms, well below the 4.6% rise in consumer prices fuelled by the Middle East war, according to new ABS data.
Casual employment has resumed a long-term decline, while the incidence of working from home has stabilised at just over a third of the workforce, according to newly-released ABS data.
Rates of pay excluding bonuses have ticked up in both the private and public sectors and are continuing to outpace inflation, according to new ABS data.
Ahead of the May 3 poll, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is supporting a real pay increase in this year's minimum wage case, going further than his 2022 election call for the FWC to ensure workers' pay not "go backwards".
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Growth in private sector rates of pay is continuing to ease, falling from 3.6% a year in trend terms to 3.3%, while public sector growth has also dropped, according to the ABS.
