Annual pay rise for minimum wage earners

ANNUAL PAY RISE FOR MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS

CURRENT NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE

* $656.90 a week; $17.29 an hour

* Last year's increase: $16 a week or 2.5 pct

WHAT INTEREST GROUPS WANT:

* ACTU - $30 a week increase

* ACCI - No more than 1.2 pct ($7.90 a week)

* Australian Industry Group - 1.6 pct ($10.50 a week)

WHO GETS IT?

* 1.86 million employees who are award reliant

* Get paid national minimum wage or an award minimum wage

* Federal government says relatively few Australians - 157,100 employees - are paid national minimum wage and most award-reliant workers are not low-paid

* Applies from July 1