Fair Work Commission

The AWRS has collected a range of information that can be used to examine differences in earnings between characteristics of employees, such as gender.

Data can be disaggregated to identify employees’ occupations, weekly and hourly earnings, and components of earnings such as overtime, bonuses and superannuation. An employee’s status as a junior, casual or part-time worker can also be controlled for.

Care should be taken when comparing AWRS survey estimates based on ANZSCO groups with estimates from the ABS using the EEH classification of 'managerial' employees. A variable classifying employees according to the ABS definitions of 'managerial' and 'non-managerial' is not included in the AWRS survey.

Table 5.12 shows average hourly ordinary time cash earnings (AHOTCE) for female adult non-casual, non-managerial employees was 83% of AHOTCE of all male adult non-casual, non-managerial employees. AHOTCE for females was $36.91 (per hour), compared with $40.65 for males.

The AHOTCE of all award-reliant female adult non-casual, non-managerial employees was 92% of the AHOTCE of all award-reliant male adult non-casual, non-managerial employees.

Source: AWRS 2014, Employee survey.

Base = 4128 non-managerial employees and 5090 employees in total. Excludes persons aged below 21 years. Also excludes persons employed under an apprenticeship or traineeship and persons who reported hourly earnings in the top and bottom 5% of the hourly earnings distribution.

Note: Hourly wage rates are calculated using employees’ reported standard hours earnings in the last pay period. Respondents who did not receive remuneration for standard hours (a base salary) are excluded.

For the purposes of this table, non-managerial employees are those classified to ANZSCO categories other than the ANZSCO Note: 1-digit group Managers.

As demonstrated in Table 5.12, there are differences in the earnings of employees according to the different methods of pay-setting. Employees who have their pay set by an enterprise agreement, on average, have higher earnings than employees who have their pay set by an award.

The AWRS collected information from enterprises about how the wage rates in enterprise agreements were determined and how they compared to the relevant awards. There is limited data available which reports on the extent to which modern awards may influence wage-setting arrangements and outcomes for enterprise agreements.^[1]

The analysis presented in Table 5.13 shows that more than half (59%) of enterprises with enterprise agreements in place used pay structures that set rates of pay well above award rates. Just over one-quarter (27%) indicated that the enterprise agreement wage rates sat just above the applicable award wage rates. Few (9%) enterprises reported that the agreement rates replicated the award rates.

Source:  AWRS 2014, Employee Relations survey.

Base = 812 enterprises.