Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Australia
Australia: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 83.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Australia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Australia stood at 83.9%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Australia peaked at 83.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 78.0%, in 1993.
That places Australia 48th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 78.1% | — |
| 1992 | 78.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 78.0% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 78.2% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 78.4% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 78.5% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 78.6% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 78.9% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 79.1% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 79.3% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 79.6% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 79.8% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 80.9% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 80.2% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 81.2% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 81.3% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 83.0% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 83.5% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 82.6% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 82.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 82.4% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 83.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 83.2% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.4% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 83.4% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 83.0% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 83.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 83.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 83.2% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 83.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 83.2% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 83.5% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 83.7% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 83.8% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 83.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.4% | 78.0% | 79.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 81.1% | 79.3% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.1% | 82.4% | 83.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.6% | 83.2% | 83.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 45 Slovakia 85.1% compare
- 46 Guam 84.5% compare
- 47 Czechia 84.3% compare
- 49 North Macedonia 83.4% compare
- 50 Netherlands 83.2% compare
- 51 Switzerland 83.1% compare
More work & labour data for Australia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4907 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5202 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9895 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8931 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 30,186 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3,001 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,642 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 21,502 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 43,144 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Australia?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Australia was 83.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.0% in 1993.
- How does Australia rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Australia ranks 48th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.