Australian workers are on collective agreements in record numbers and securing stronger wage growth outcomes, according to new wage data released by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
The March 2025 Trends in Enterprise Bargaining report shows that employees covered by collective agreements grew to the highest on record, at 2.67 million, up from 2.14 million in March 2024.
Employees covered by union-negotiated agreements received an average annualised wage increase of 3.8 per cent, well above the current inflation rate of 2.4 per cent and significantly higher than the 3.2 per cent for employees on non-union agreements.
Administrative and support services led the way with an average increase of 6.3 per cent, followed by construction at 5.5 per cent and retail trade at 4.6 per cent.
This marks the sixth consecutive quarter of real wage growth for employees on collective agreements.
According to the latest ABS data, union members earn $251 per week more than non-union members, around $1,600 for union members compared to $1,349 for non-union members.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus:
“Collective bargaining is the engine room of wages growth and union members have fired up that engine, delivering substantial real wage increases. The wage increases union members are winning outstrip those who do not have a collective agreement or where a union was not involved in negotiating the agreement.
“A record number of people are coming together to win higher wages, which aligns with the historically high surge in union membership recorded by the ABS. People are turning to unions because sticking together and acting collectively gets results. The facts are that more Australians, especially young people, are joining unions and union members are earning more money.”
