Wages growth stuck at record low as public sector pay freezes bite

A stronger-than-expected increase in private sector pay over the last three months of 2020 has kept wage growth above (very low) economist expectations.

Australians’ pay packets rose an average of 0.6 per cent over the last three months of last year, double the 0.3 per cent expected by most economists.

Unusually, it was the private sector that led pay rises, with wage gains of 0.7 per cent, seasonally adjusted,…