Whats Been Happening to Real Wages?
• Real wages in Australia rose during the period from 1982 to 1985, fell during the second half of the 1980s and then rose again in the 1990s. • Real wages are 6.2 per cent higher now (1996) than in 1982. • Real wages after tax for a single male with no dependents is 4.8 per cent higher now than in 1982. • Real after tax income (i.e. wages plus various family payments) for a family with a non-income earning wife and two dependent children is 4.5 per cent higher now than in 1982.
