New polling shows only one in five Australians received a pay rise big enough to cover their living costs in the past year.
A ReachTEL survey, commissioned by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, found about 48 per cent of people had not received a pay increase in the past 12 months.
Some 33 per cent of respondents got a wage boost, but it was not enough to cover the cost of living.
Just 19 per cent got an increase which allowed them to pay for living costs in the past year.
