Annual wage rate growth at 3.3 percent

The labour cost index recorded an increase of 3.3 percent in salary and wage rates (including overtime) in
the year to the March 2009 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. This increase is lower than the
revised increases of 3.5 percent and 4.0 percent in the years to the December and September 2008
quarters, respectively.

In the March 2009 quarter, salary and wage rates (including overtime) increased 0.6 percent, which is the
lowest quarterly rise in two years.

Private sector salary and wage rates (including overtime) increased 3.1 percent in the year to the March
2009 quarter and 0.6 percent in the March 2009 quarter. Salary and wage rates (including overtime) for the
public sector increased 4.3 percent in the year to the March 2009 quarter and 0.6 percent in the March
2009 quarter.

Salary and ordinary time wage rates rose 3.4 percent in the year to the March 2009 quarter and overtime
wage rates increased 3.8 percent in the same period.

In the March 2009 quarter, salary and ordinary time wage rates increased 0.6 percent, while overtime wage
rates rose 0.8 percent.

The median increase for all surveyed salary and ordinary time wage rates that rose in the year to the March
2009 quarter was 4.2 percent. In the year to the March 2009 quarter, the mean increase for all surveyed
salary and ordinary time wage rates that rose was 5.7 percent.

Improved historical information on changes to central government primary and secondary school education
pay rates has been incorporated back to the September 2005 quarter, resulting in revisions to some
previously published figures.

Geoff Bascand
Government Statistician
6 May 2009
END

See also the Hot Off The Press information release Labour Cost Index (Salary and Wage Rates): March
2009 quarter.