New industry pay data gives some insight into pay gap between men and women
The ABS's May 2026 Average Weekly Earnings release put the headline gender pay gap in full-time ordinary time earnings at 11.3%, its lowest recorded level, down marginally from 11.5% in November 2025.
Full-time adult ordinary time earnings reached $2,083.70 in May, with six-month growth of just 1.6% — the softest half-year outcome since 2022, and annual growth of 3.7%, also the weakest since late 2022.
Industry-level data tells a more textured story. Across the 18 industries measured, gaps in full-time total earnings range from 2.2% in Other Services to 35.4% in Administrative and Support Services, with an all-industries average of 16.3% — notably wider than the 11.3% headline figure.
That gap between headline and industry numbers is methodological, not contradictory. The industry table measures total earnings (including overtime and penalty rates) for full-time adults on an original, non-seasonally-adjusted basis, whereas the headline 11.3% figure uses ordinary time earnings, seasonally adjusted.
Neither measure adjusts for occupation, seniority, tenure, or hours actually worked within the full-time category — meaning a large industry-level gap may reflect workforce composition (who holds senior versus junior full-time roles) as much as like-for-like pay differences.
Readers should treat industry gaps as compositional indicators, not causal measures of unequal pay for equal work. For a cleaner read on pure wage-price movement, the ABS's quarterly Wage Price Index remains the more appropriate benchmark.
| Gender Pay Gap by Industry — Full-Time Adult Total Earnings, 15 May 2026 | ||||
| Industry | Males ($) | Females ($) | Gap ($) | Gap (%) |
| Administrative and Support Services | 2,219.70 | 1,639.10 | 580.60 | 35.4% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,593.40 | 1,930.00 | 663.40 | 34.4% |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | 2,970.80 | 2,342.70 | 628.10 | 26.8% |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 2,905.10 | 2,306.00 | 599.10 | 26.0% |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 2,606.40 | 2,090.70 | 515.70 | 24.7% |
| Financial and Insurance Services | 2,583.20 | 2,093.20 | 490.00 | 23.4% |
| Arts and Recreation Services | 2,033.50 | 1,695.90 | 337.60 | 19.9% |
| Mining | 3,445.70 | 2,882.20 | 563.50 | 19.6% |
| Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | 2,162.20 | 1,831.90 | 330.30 | 18.0% |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | 2,286.60 | 1,950.30 | 336.30 | 17.2% |
| All Industries | 2,282.60 | 1,963.40 | 319.20 | 16.3% |
| Manufacturing | 2,021.50 | 1,755.70 | 265.80 | 15.1% |
| Wholesale Trade | 2,111.30 | 1,859.90 | 251.40 | 13.5% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 1,614.50 | 1,441.00 | 173.50 | 12.0% |
| Construction | 2,171.70 | 1,985.30 | 186.40 | 9.4% |
| Retail Trade | 1,672.00 | 1,530.00 | 142.00 | 9.3% |
| Education and Training | 2,320.10 | 2,144.90 | 175.20 | 8.2% |
| Public Administration and Safety | 2,318.00 | 2,167.80 | 150.20 | 6.9% |
| Other Services | 1,715.10 | 1,677.40 | 37.70 | 2.2% |