Salaries better on the West Coast

File photo

The West Coast has knocked Wellington off its perch at the top of the salary table.

Latest figures from online job search site seek.co.nz show West Coast workers had some of the fattest pay packets in the country in the six months to June, earning on average $10,000 more per worker than the national average.

The average annual salary on the Coast is $82,916, against the Wellington average of $77,981 and a national average of $72,277.

Auckland salaries rose to $73,355, but the growth was not limited to the big cities or white collar industries, said Janet Faulding, Seek's New Zealand general manager.

Pay packets in the community services and development sector were the fastest growing in the six months, with the average salary up 19.5 per cent to $65,508, ahead of the real estate and property sector which recorded an 11.2 per cent lift to take the average salary to $77,917.

Workers in the mining, resources and energy sector are paid the most on average, earning an average $111,378 per year.

Faulding said the figures were good news for workers who were seeking more money by switching roles.

For employers looking to retain staff, now as a good time to review salary packages, she said.

- Susie Nordqvist