The National Minimum Wage in Australia Increased Meaning You Might Get a Pay Rise

A massive change for heaps and heaps of workers 

The Fair Work Commission has just handed down an increase of 3.5 per cent to the national minimum wage and award minimum wages at its annual review.

That means there’s an increase of about $32 for a 38-hour working week or almost $1,670 a year.

And if you’re a casual worker or working while studying, this could mean good, good news for you.

Why is this happening?

This change comes after the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) annual review of the minimum wage and award agreements.

The commission's decision increased the national minimum wage to $24.95 per hour or $948 per week, based on a full-time, 38-hour working week.

This means that millions of workers will get a pay increase from 1 July.

The inflation rate is currently 2.4 per cent annually. The pay rise is above-inflation to try and address the decline in real wages experienced by minimum wage and award wage workers in the past few years.

Who’s affected by the pay increase?

Almost 3 million employees, or one in five, have their pay set by an award. Workers that are affected by this pay raise are mostly in labour-intensive and female-dominated industries such as hospo, health and social assistance, and admin services.

The National Minimum Wage also applies to employees not covered by an award or registered agreement.

This is the minimum pay rate provided by the Fair Work Act 2009 and is reviewed each year. You can find more info on their website.