Advertised salaries on job board Seek Australia rose 4.6% in October from the same month a year ago, but the growth rate slowed from the annual 4.8% gain recorded in both September and August. 

On a monthly basis, advertised salaries climbed slightly by 0.3% in October, a slowdown from the previous three months. 

By state, South Australia led year-on-year growth, with a 5.4% increase in October. Queensland and Western Australia followed, with 5.1% growth each.  

The territories experienced slower growth than any of the states over the year to October, with the Australian Capital Territory at 3.5% and the Northern Territory at just 2.5%. 

By industry, the community, services and development industry led the way with an increase of 8%. Consulting and strategy also reported growth with an uptick of 6.1% over the year.  

At the other end of the scale, advertised salary growth in government continued to be sluggish, at just 1.6% in the year to October. Information & communication technology didn’t fare much better, at 2% over the same period, reflecting continued weak labour demand.