Pay rises among transport and communication sector workers were the highest among the private sector, a new report has found, with electricity, gas and water workers in second place.
According to analysts from the Industrial Relations Services (IRS), the transport communications sector saw average pay increases of 4.5 per cent.
This was up from the three per cent average pay increase recorded last year.
The electricity, gas and water sectors saw the second highest increases in pay, experiencing a 4.1 per cent increase.
Over all, the average pay increase in the private sectors stood at 3.4 per cent.
The IRS's report looked at the pay packets of more than three million private sector workers across a range of industries.
"Higher headline inflation has meant bigger pay rises for workers in almost every area of the private sector this year, but the rail transport, the utilities and the construction industry are the only sectors where above-inflation pay deals have been common," commented IRS pay and benefits editor Sarah Welfare.
"Looking ahead, private sector firms are predicting that pay awards will remain around 3.5 per cent next year."
