Tasmanian full-time average weekly ordinary time earnings (AWOTE) increased by  just $11 (0.8 per cent) to $1355.60 in the year to November.

National AWOTE climbed by $35.90 (2.3 per cent) to $1567.90.

That left the average Tasmanian full-time, ordinary time weekly wage $212.30 behind the mainland’s.

Tasmanian Treasury analysis said Tasmanian AWOTE was 86.5 per cent of the national average.

That was down from 87.8 per cent a year earlier.

AWOTE is heavily influenced by the shares of types of jobs in an economy and how much they pay.

The public service-dominated ACT had the nation’s highest AWOTE in November, at $1801.30.

Western Australia, with its large, high-paying mining industry, was second at $1740.90.

Treasury said: “As … AWOTE is based only on full-time employees, it is not affected by changes in the share of part-time workers in the sample, but is susceptible to changes in the occupation and skill levels of the workforce.”

It said that was why it preferred the ABS’ wage price index as a “superior measure” of wages growth.

The wage price index measures changes over time in what workers are paid for the same work.

Tasmania’s wage price index increased by 2.2 per cent in the year to the end of December.

That was the equal highest growth rate in the country, along with Victoria.

The index increased by 2 per cent nationally during 2017.

Tasmania’s annual index growth was just ahead of annual Hobart inflation (2.1 per cent).