Jobs and income / Wages and prices

Are wages keeping up with prices?

Not quite. In the year to the Sep 2026 quarter, average hourly pay rose 2.9% while prices rose 3.7%.

3.7%rise in consumer prices (CPI) over the year

2.9%rise in average hourly pay, to $44.86 an hour

2.0%rise in pay rates for the same job (labour cost index)

−0.8%change in average hourly pay after inflation

Pay and prices, annual change

Prices (CPI)Average hourly payPay rates for the same job

Average hourly pay in today's prices

Average ordinary-time hourly pay, adjusted to Sep 2026 quarter prices

By industry

Change in average hourly pay, year to the Sep 2026 quarter

Ahead of pricesBehind pricesNumber on the right: hourly pay

Public and private sector pay rates

Labour cost index, annual change

Private sectorPublic sector

Gender pay gap in average hourly pay

How much less women earn per hour, on average, than men

About these numbers

Two measures of pay. Average hourly pay (from the Quarterly Employment Survey) rises when people are promoted, change jobs, or when lower-paid jobs disappear. The labour cost index tracks the pay rate for the same jobs over time, so it shows pay rises without those shifts.

After inflation means pay growth compared with the rise in consumer prices. It's not adjusted for tax or hours worked.

Industry figures come from a sample survey and can move around from quarter to quarter, especially in smaller industries.

Gender pay gap here is the simple difference in average ordinary-time hourly pay. Stats NZ's official gender pay gap uses median pay from a different survey.

Sources: Stats NZ Labour market statistics, September 2026 quarter (QES, LCI); Consumers price index, September 2026 quarter.