Business management salary: how awards and the national minimum wage compare
Understand business management salary in Australia relative to awards and the national minimum wage. ABS data shows managers earn well above award floors.
Business management salaries are well above the national minimum wage, with managers earning around $69.20 per hour (index ~129), compared to the national minimum of $26.44 per hour (index 48.2).
Business management salary: awards versus the national minimum wage
When people ask about a business management salary, they usually want to know what a manager in Australia can expect to earn and how that compares to the legal minimums set by awards and the national minimum wage. The short answer is that business management salaries sit well above both the national minimum wage and most award rates, but the gap varies by industry, state, and the specific management level.
The national minimum wage and award floors
From 1 July 2026, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week if you work full-time. That works out to an annual salary of $52,255 and a Salary Index of 48.2 – meaning it is just under half the full-time adult ordinary-time earnings benchmark of $2,083.70 per week (index 100).
Award minimum rates are slightly higher than the national minimum for most classifications. The entry-level award floor is $25.74 per hour, and award rates rose by 4.75% from 1 July 2026. But these award rates are designed for lower-skilled roles, not for business management positions. Many managers are not covered by a modern award at all – they are on individual contracts or enterprise agreements that pay significantly more.
What the ABS says about business management salary
The Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes detailed earnings data by occupation. In its Employee Earnings and Hours survey (May 2025), the occupation group "Managers" had the highest average hourly earnings of any occupation: $69.20 per hour. That is more than 2.6 times the national minimum wage.
For full-time non-managerial adult employees classified as Managers, average weekly total cash earnings were $2,688.70. If we compare that to the national ordinary-time benchmark of $2,083.70, the approximate index is 129. That means a typical manager earns about 29% more than the benchmark full-time adult worker.
Keep in mind that "Managers" includes everyone from a small business owner to a senior executive in a large corporation. A business management salary for a middle manager in a professional services firm will be different from that of a retail store manager. The ABS also reports that the highest-earning industries for managers include Mining (average weekly total cash earnings $3,319.20 for males, $2,750.00 for females) and Information Media and Telecommunications ($2,545.20 for males, $2,225.40 for females).
How awards interact with business management roles
Some lower-level management positions – such as a team leader or a department supervisor – may be covered by a modern award. For example, the Clerks Award has classifications for supervisory roles, and the Business Equipment Award covers some management functions. But once you move into genuine management with responsibilities like hiring, firing, and strategic decision-making, you are usually classified as award-free. The Fair Work Commission's Modern Awards Pay Database can help you check specific award classifications, but for most business management roles, the award is not the binding document.
State and industry variations
Where you work matters. The states page on Salary Index shows that Western Australia has the highest state index at 106.9 (annualised $115,825), while Tasmania is lowest at 88.6 ($96,008). For business management salaries, the gap can be even larger because mining and resources drive up pay in WA.
Industry also plays a huge role. The industries page shows that Mining has an index of 154.7, while Retail Trade is 75.9. A business manager in mining will earn far more than one in retail, even with similar responsibilities.
Putting it all together
If you are trying to benchmark a business management salary, start with the ABS data for Managers and adjust for your industry and location. The national minimum wage and award rates are the legal floor, but they are not relevant for most management roles. The Salary Index can help you compare any salary to the national line: just divide the annual gross salary by $108,352 (the annualised benchmark) and multiply by 100. A business management salary of $140,000, for example, would have an index of about 129 – right on the average for managers.
For more detail on how pay is set, see our pay guides and topics pages. And remember that superannuation (12% from 1 July 2026) and tax (resident rates with a 2% Medicare levy) will affect your take-home pay, but the index is based on gross ordinary-time earnings.
Questions people ask
Is business management salary covered by a modern award?
Many business management roles are not covered by a specific modern award, especially at senior levels. Some lower-level management positions may fall under awards such as the Clerks Award or the Business Equipment Award, but most managers are classified as award-free or covered by individual arrangements or enterprise agreements. The Fair Work Commission's Modern Awards Pay Database can help check specific classifications.
How does the national minimum wage affect business management salary?
The national minimum wage sets the absolute floor for all employees, but business management salaries are typically far above it. For example, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour (index 48.2), while managers earn on average $69.20 per hour (index ~129). Award rates for lower-level supervisory roles may be higher than the minimum but still well below typical management pay.
What is the salary index for business management roles?
Using ABS data for Managers (full-time non-managerial adult), average weekly total cash earnings are $2,688.70. Compared to the national benchmark of $2,083.70 (index 100), this gives an index of about 129. However, this is an approximation because the benchmark uses ordinary-time earnings, while the manager figure includes overtime and other payments. For a more precise index, you would need ordinary-time earnings for managers, which are not separately published.