Global Wage Report 2020-21

Wages and minimum wages in the time of Covid-19

 | International Labour Organization | Dec 2020

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This report, by the International Labour Organization, examines the evolution of real wages around the world, giving a unique picture of wage trends globally and by region. 

The chapter in Part I (pages 44-50) providing estimates of the labour market impacts of the COVID-19 crisis in Europe, is based on a background analysis by the Institute for Employment Studies.

The report analyses the relationship of minimum wages and inequality, as well as the wage impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. It also reviews minimum wage systems across the world and identifies the conditions under which minimum wages can reduce inequality.

The report presents comprehensive data on levels of minimum wages, their effectiveness, and the number and characteristics of workers paid at or below the minimum. It highlights how adequate minimum wages, statutory or negotiated, can play a key role in a human-centred recovery from the crisis.