Aug 18 (Reuters) - Australian shares opened lower on Thursday tracking overnight Wall Street losses, after the U.S. Federal Reserve minutes revealed more rate hikes in the pipeline amid inflationary pressures, while investors awaited domestic employment data.

The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.4% to 7,102.8 by 0022 GMT and was on track to snap a three-day rally. It ended 0.3% higher on Wednesday.

The July employment figures will give investors an insight into the health of Australia's labour market and clues on the central bank's future pace of policy tightening.

Markets digested Fed minutes that showed policymakers were committed to raising rates as high as necessary on "little evidence" that inflation pressures were easing.

Gold stocks dropped 3.6% on weak overnight bullion prices weighed on the local bourse.

Gold miners Regis Resources and SSR Mining were the top losers on the sub-index, down 6.8% and 4.3%, respectively.

Tech stocks fell 1.8%, tracking losses in their U.S. peers. However, software services provider Iress Ltd bucked the trend and rose 3% after posting strong results.

Australia's energy index was up about 1%, as crude prices recovered on strong export demand.

Among individual stocks, Origin Energy slumped up to 6.6% in its worst day since June 1, after warning of uncertainty around its fiscal 2023 earnings.

Charter operator Alliance Aviation Services slipped 6.8% after the country's competition regulator raised concerns on its proposed buy-out by Qantas Airways.

Across the Tasman sea, Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Adrian Orr said the central bank was confident domestic inflation was now tracking lower, a day after it raised cash rate by half point.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index dropped 0.4% to 11,807.07.

Auckland International Airport shed about 4% after recording a second straight year of loss, shedding the most on the index.

(Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)