Australia raises minimum wages by 3.5% as inflation eases

FILE PHOTO: A worker adjusts the electrical wiring of traffic lights in central Sydney, Australia, June 16, 2017. The minimum rate will rise to A$24.94 (US$16.19) per hour, resulting in an extra A$1,670 in a year for full-time employees. - Reuters

SYDNEY: Australia's independent wage-setting body on Tuesday (June 3) raised the national minimum wage by 3.5 per cent effective July 1, a real wage increase for about 2.6 million workers on the lowest pay as inflationary pressures ease in the economy.

The minimum rate will rise to A$24.94 (US$16.19) per hour, resulting in an extra A$1,670 in a year for full-time employees, according to the Fair Work Commission's (FWC) annual review.