WELLINGTON, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- New Zealanders' median weekly and hourly earnings from wages and salaries increased by 7.1 and 6.6 percent respectively, in the year to the June 2023 quarter, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Tuesday.
Median weekly earnings from wages and salaries grew by 7.1 percent, or 84 NZ dollars (50.22 U.S. dollars) over the year, to reach 1,273 NZ dollars (761 dollars). This was the second-largest annual rise since the series began in 1998, surpassed only by the previous year's annual increase, Stats NZ said.
Median weekly earnings continued to grow strongly over the year, especially for women, whose earnings rose 8.1 percent annually, following record growth in the previous year, Stats NZ's labor market manager Malak Shafik said.
In the year to the June 2023 quarter, median hourly earnings from wages and salaries were up 6.6 percent to reach 31.61 NZ dollars (18.9 dollars). This was the second-largest annual percentage increase in median hourly earnings since 1998, following the largest increase in the previous year, Shafik said.
Median hourly earnings for women were up 7.7 percent over the year, to reach 30.15 NZ dollars (18.03 dollars), which was the largest annual increase in the series. Men's median hourly earnings were up 7 percent to reach 33 NZ dollars (19.74 dollars), the second-largest annual increase in the series, he said.
This puts the gender pay gap for the June 2023 quarter at 8.6 percent, which is based on median hourly earnings, statistics show.
The New Zealand government continues to close the gender pay gap by further promoting pay transparency.
Around 900 entities nationwide with more than 250 employees will be required to publicly report their gender pay gap, and after four years, this will increase to almost 2,700 entities with more than 100 workers, Minister for Women Jan Tinetti said last week. ■