Australia's average full-time salary has risen to $85,000 with wages rising at the fastest pace in six years. 

Weekly pay levels before bonuses and overtime increased by 3.1 per cent to $1,634.80 in the year to May, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed. 

This marked the steepest pay increase since May 2013, before wage levels stagnated for the next five years.

Rafael Moyano, the chief executive of recruitment firm Adecco, said the figures were 'positive news' for staff seeking a pay rise.

'Despite the current negative economic sentiment, these figures show employers are willing to increase salaries to keep valuable staff,' he said.

Average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time workers now stands at $85,009, before taxes, bonuses and overtime. 

Women working full-time enjoyed more generous more increases, with their salaries rising by 3.6 per cent to $77,246, or $1,485.50 a week.

Men putting in 38 hours or more saw their wages increase by a more modest three per cent to $89,840, or $1,727.70 a week.

Male mining sector workers had the biggest weekly pay packets of $2,616.90, equating to $136,079 but their salaries actually fell by 1.2 per cent during the past year. 

Australia's lowest paid workers are typically women working in hospitality.

Their wages rose by just 2.2 per cent to $1,096.80 or $57,033 a year. 

Mr Moyano said there was still a significant gender pay gap, based on the imbalance of men and in certain industries.

'Women are still earning significantly less than men overall,' he said.'

'Businesses and education providers must make more effort to increase gender diversity across industries to significantly reduce the pay gap.'

Another official measure of pay levels shows salary increases are flat, with the ABS wage price index for June showing wages rising by an annual pace of just 2.3 per cent.

This measure of wages has failed to rise above the 2.5 per cent level since early 2014, with wages halving between 2011 and 2017, to a paltry two per cent.