Pay Rates Rise Faster For Lower Skills: Survey

January 10th, 2002

The wages and salaries of truck drivers and production workers rose faster than general managers' and computer programmers' pay last year, the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern) reports.

The National Salary and Wage Survey data usually shows the pay rates of those with advanced skills, for example in electronics and information technology, besides being much higher than for unskilled work, also grow faster. Not so last year.

The pay for several lower skilled types of jobs for the year ended July last year went up faster than for many high fliers, said Graeme Perfect, the person in charge of EMA's long running annual survey.

"Last year, according to the 600 plus survey respondents, the average pay for computer programmers and analysts slipped back marginally to $52,146 per annum," he said.

"On the other hand, after two years of no increases, the average annual pay for over 400 truck drivers rose 14.25 per cent to reach $32,622. This was more than for computer operators which went up 13 per cent to $42,953.

"Senior librarians and library managers who were amongst the leaders for pay increases last year, were not so successful this time; their aggregated national average pay last year was up 14.9 per cent whereas this year their pay went up just 5.3 per cent to reach $47,820."

"The 21 job categories in the attached table were drawn from the National Wage & Salary Survey included a total of 208 job types. Our analysis of the basic wages and salaries paid in these positions highlights the speed that people with advanced skills can recoup the investment in their education and training.

"The information presented covers only basic wages and salaries, not other remuneration such as overtime, bonus payments, cars, super or health insurance cover. The New Zealand wide survey has been carried out every year for the past seven years to monitor regional differences in pay as well as aggregating data into upper and lower quartile bands.

"There seems to have been a degree of catch up going on last year for some sectors. That's not surprising with the pressure on in some sectors of the economy and in rural areas.

"Significant fluctuations in wage rates can be expected from year to year because of such factors, as well as for similar jobs in different sized organisations and in different industries," Mr Perfect said.

"The number of employers contributing data on job categories varies too.

"No matter what careers people are thinking about pursuing, and regardless of last year's figures, higher qualifications usually translate into higher pay. 2001 went against the long term and was an aberration in that respect."

Pay rates for various job types

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

RECEPTIONIST/TYPIST/DATA ENTRY

No of Employees

590

352

369

368

290

303

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

26,923

26,875

27,151

27,168

28,321

29,329

% Change 1996-2000

5.0

Chge from prev. year: + 3.6%

ACCOUNTS CLERK

No of Employees

n/a

302

325

253

208

222

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

n/a

27,482

28,071

29,698

29,359

35,311

% Change 1996-2000

6.8

Chge from prev. year: + 20.2%

CUSTOMER SERVICE CLERK

No of Employees

1162

1104

661

936

704

916

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

25,302

25,848

30,035

30,439

30,323

30,619

% Change 1996-2000

19.8

Chge from prev.yr: + 0.98%

MACHINIST, APPAREL

No of Employees

272

304

321

195

220

204

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

19,061

19,891

19,694

20,051

22,000

24,421

% Change 1996-2000

15.4

Chge from prev. yr: +11%

WAREHOUSE/STOREPERSON (UNSKILLED)

No of Employees

509

440

470

373

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

21,273

22,014

n/a

n/a

21,789

24,328

% Change 1996-2000

2.4

Chge from prev. yr: +11.65%

PRODUCTION WORKER (SEMI SKILLED)

No of Employees

2197

2795

2508

3457

2041

1931

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

22,982

24,004

23,795

24,455

25,440

27,981

% Change 1996-2000

10.7

Chge from prev. yr: +10%

FITTER WELDER AND FITTER TURNER

No of Employees

972

869

836

611

735

444

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

31,864

34,875

34,506

35,570

36,819

38,265

% Change 1996-2000

15.5

Chge from prev. yr: 3.92%

SHOP SALESPERSON - SKILLED

No of Employees

456

317

247

235

913

255

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

22,452

23,856

25,206

24,921

24,375

26,823

% Change 1996-2000

8.5

Chge from prev. yr: +10%

DRIVER - GENERAL ROAD TRANSPORT

No of Employees

220

258

274

360

313

401

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

25,713

25,122

28,670

29,511

28,552

32,622

% Change 1996-2000

11.04

Chge from prev. yr: +14.25%

STAFF NURSE/REGISTERED NURSE

No of Employees

4001

3558

2212

2392

1332

1456

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

36,216

36,497

36,926

38,298

39,468

39,280

% Change 1996-2000

8.9

Chge from prev. yr: - 0.47%

SALES REP/COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER

No of Employees

897

755

627

822

519

372

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

33,883

34,831

36,300

37,331

35,966

37,945

% Change 1996-2000

6.1

Chge from prev. year: + 5.5%

HUMAN RESOURCES/PERSONNEL OFFICER

No of Employees

142

108

117

115

104

99

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

42,530

43,168

44,377

46,839

46,448

48,448

% Change 1996-2000

9.2

Chge from prev. yr: +5.37%

MARKETING/BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

No of Employees

166

108

111

126

141

95

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

69,658

73,134

72,165

76,014

78,086

89,047

% Change 1996-2000

12.1

Chge from prev. yr: +14%

GENERAL MANAGER (UNDER 50 EMPLOYEES)

No of Employees

224

167

189

205

132

136

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

73,796

76,773

81,682

81,052

83,578

83,822

% Change 1996-2000

13.2

Chge from prev. yr: + 0.3%

GENERAL MANAGER (50 - 199 EMPLOYEES)

No of Employees

169

117

149

135

110

100

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

92,772

92,687

96,036

105,204

101,567

108,025

% Change 1996-2000

13.4

Chge from prev. yr: +6.36%

MANAGING DIRECTOR (50 - 199 EMPLOYEES)

No of Employees

68

51

66

87

85

90

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

119,696

120,259

117,927

119,560

127,513

127,722

% Change 1996-2000

6.5

Chge from prev. yr: + 0.2%

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER

No of Employees

118

91

124

102

103

96

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

64,123

66,707

69,020

73,818

74,443

76,767

% Change 1996-2000

16.1

Chge from prev. yr: +3.12%

ANALYST/PROGRAMMER AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS ENGINEER

No of Employees

303

267

305

609

306

112

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

46,062

45,989

47,566

50,448

52,932

52,146

% Change 1996-2000

14.9

Chge from prev. yr: - 1.5%

IS INFORMATION OFFICER AND COMPUTER OPERATOR

No of Employees

141

118

913

317

501

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

n/a

34,757

36,666

38,074

37,973

42,953

% Change 1996-2000

9.2

Chge from prev. yr: + 13.1%

ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN

No of Employees

216

176

157

121

103

78

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

34,806

37,999

35,473

35,342

39,347

40,286

% Change 1996-2000

13.0

Chge from prev. yr: +2.39%

LIBRARY MANAGER/SENIOR LIBRARIAN/QUALIFIED LIBRARIAN

No of Employees

257

262

247

252

293

179

National Average Basic Remuneration ($)

39,524

43,132

43,561

43,049

45,415

47,820

% Change 1996-2000

14.9

Chge from prev. yr: + 5.3%

© Scoop Media