When adjusted for inflation, the 2024 federal minimum wage in the United States is over 40 percent lower than the minimum wage in 1970. Although the real dollar minimum wage in 1970 was only 1.60 U.S. dollars, when expressed in nominal 2024 dollars this increases to 13.05 U.S. dollars. This is a significant difference from the federal minimum wage in 2024 of 7.25 U.S. dollars.

In March 2025, inflation amounted to 2.4 percent, while wages grew by 4.3 percent. The inflation rate has not exceeded the rate of wage growth since January 2023. Inflation in 2022 The high rates of inflation in 2022 meant that the real terms value of American wages took a hit. Many Americans report feelings of concern over the economy and a worsening of their financial situation. The inflation situation in the United States is one that was experienced globally in 2022, mainly due to COVID-19 related supply chain constraints and disruption due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The monthly inflation rate for the U.S. reached a 40-year high in June 2022 at 9.1 percent, and annual inflation for 2022 reached eight percent. Without appropriate wage increases, Americans will continue to see a decline in their purchasing power. Wages in the U.S. Despite the level of wage growth reaching 6.7 percent in the summer of 2022, it has not been enough to curb the impact of even higher inflation rates. The federally mandated minimum wage in the United States has not increased since 2009, meaning that individuals working minimum wage jobs have taken a real terms pay cut for the last twelve years. There are discrepancies between states - the minimum wage in California can be as high as 15.50 U.S. dollars per hour, while a business in Oklahoma may be as low as two U.S. dollars per hour. However, even the higher wage rates in states like California and Washington may be lacking - one analysis found that if minimum wage had kept up with productivity, the minimum hourly wage in the U.S. should have been 22.88 dollars per hour in 2021. Additionally, the impact of decreased purchasing power due to inflation will impact different parts of society in different ways with stark contrast in average wages due to both gender and race.

In April 2025, the UK minimum wage for adults over the age of 21 in will be 12.21 pounds per hour. For the 2025/26 financial year, there will be four minimum wage categories, three of which are based on age and one for apprentice workers. Apprentices, and workers under the age of 18 will have a minimum wage of 7.55 pounds an hour, increasing to ten pounds for those aged 18 to 20. When the minimum wage was first introduced in 1999, there were just two age categories; 18 to 21, and 22 and over. This increased to three categories in 2004, four in 2010, and five between 2016 and 2023, before being reduced down to four in the most recent year. The living wage The living wage is an alternative minimum wage amount that employers in the UK can voluntarily pay their employees. It is calculated independently of the legal minimum wage and results in a higher value figure. In 2023/24, for example, the living wage was twelve pounds an hour for the UK as a whole and 13.15 for workers in London, where the cost of living is typically higher. This living wage is different from what the UK government has named the national living wage, which was 10.42 in the same financial year. Between 2011/12 and 2023/24, the living wage has increased by 4.80 pounds, while the London living wage has grown by 4.85 pounds. Wage growth cancelled-out by high inflation 2021-2023 For a long period between the middle of 2021 and late 2023, average wage growth in the UK was unable to keep up with record inflation levels, resulting in the biggest fall in disposable income since 1956. Although the UK government attempted to mitigate the impact of falling living standards through a series of cost of living payments, the situation has still been very difficult for households. After peaking at 11.1 percent in October 2022, the UK's inflation rate remained in double figures until March 2023, and did not fall to the preferred rate of two percent until May 2024. As of November 2024, regular weekly pay in the UK was growing by 5.6 percent in nominal terms, and 2.5 percent when adjusted for inflation.

From April 2025 onwards, the UK's main national minimum wage category, the national living wage, will rise to ***** pounds per hour, up from ***** pounds per hour in the previous financial year. This amount will apply to workers aged 21 and over, compared with 2022 and 2023 when it was only for workers aged 23 and over, and for those aged 25 and over between 2016 and 2021. The main minimum wage from 2010 to 2015 was the 21+ rate, and 22+ rate between 1999 and 2009. Evolution of the minimum wage Since its introduction in 1999, the minimum wage has had various rate categories, usually based on age. For the first five years, there were two categories, one for workers 18 to 21, and another for workers aged 22 and over. In 2004, a minimum wage for under 18s was introduced, and between 2010 and 2015 there were three rates based on age, and one for apprenticeships. Another age based-rate was added in 2016, but from 2024 onwards, the model will revert to four rate categories overall. In addition to the legal minimum wage, there is also a voluntary real living wage, which for 2024/25 is **** pounds per hour, rising to ***** pounds per hour for workers in London. Wages continue to outpace inflation in 2024 Since July 2023, wages have grown faster than inflation in the UK with December 2024 seeing regular weekly earnings grow by *** percent, compared with the CPI inflation rate of *** percent that month. For almost two years between November 2021 and June 2023, wage growth struggled to keep up with inflation, with the biggest gap occurring in October 2022 when inflation peaked at **** percent. The fall in real earnings in one of the most important factors in the UK's ongoing cost of living crisis. At the height of the crisis, around ** percent of UK households were reporting a monthly increase in their cost of living, with this falling to ** percent by March 2024.

The federal minimum wage in the United States has remained static since its last change in 2009. Due to stagnation at the federal level, states have moved to implement state-level wage increases to keep up with rising living costs and labor market conditions. This thesis investigates the short-run labor market effects of these increases in the United States from 2010 to 2018, focusing on low-wage industries. Through a staggered difference-in-differences (DiD) framework, the analysis shows how minimum wage hikes of at least $0.50 affected the employment-population ratio, labor force participation rate, and unemployment rate. This study adds to the growing literature suggesting that minimum wage increases during the 2010s had limited negative effects on employment outcomes.

Management summary

Decent Wage Bangladesh phase 1

The aims of the project Decent Wage Bangladesh phase 1 aimed to gain insight in actual wages, the cost of living and the collective labour agreements in four low-paid sectors in three regions of Bangladesh, in order to strengthen the power of trade unions. The project received funding from Mondiaal FNV in the Netherlands and seeks to contribute to the to the knowledge and research pathway of Mondiaal’s theory of change related to social dialogue. Between August and November 2020 five studies have been undertaken. In a face-to-face survey on wages and work 1,894 workers have been interviewed. In a survey on the cost-of-living 19,252 prices have been observed. The content of 27 collective agreements have been analysed. Fifth, desk research regarding the four sectors was undertaken. The project was coordinated by WageIndicator Foundation, an NGO operating websites with information about work and wages in 140 countries, a wide network of correspondents and a track record in collecting and analysing data regarding wage patters, cost of living, minimum wages and collective agreements. For this project WageIndicator collaborated with its partner Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) in Dhaka, with a track record in conducting surveys in the country and with whom a long-lasting relationship exists. Relevant information was posted on the WageIndicator Bangladesh website and visual graphics and photos on the project webpage. The results of the Cost-of-Living survey can be seen here.

Ready Made Garment (RMG), Leather and footwear, Construction and Tea gardens and estates are the key sectors in the report. In the Wages and Work Survey interviews have been held with 724 RMG workers in 65 factories, 337 leather and footwear workers in 34 factories, 432 construction workers in several construction sites and 401 workers in 5 tea gardens and 15 tea estates. The Wages and Work Survey 2020 was conducted in the Chattagram, Dhaka and Sylhet Divisions.

Earnings have been measured in great detail. Monthly median wages for a standard working week are BDT 3,092 in tea gardens and estates, BDT 9,857 in Ready made garment, Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) 10,800 in leather and footwear and BDT 11,547 in construction. The females’ median wage is 77% lower than that of the males, reflecting the gender pay gap noticed around the world. The main reason is not that women and men are paid differently for the same work, but that men and women work in gender-segregated parts of the labour market. Women are dominating the low-paid work in the tea gardens and estates. Workers aged 40 and over are substantially lower paid than younger workers, and this can partly be ascribed to the presence of older women in the tea gardens and estates. Workers hired via an intermediary have higher median wages than workers with a permanent contract or without a contract. Seven in ten workers report that they receive an annual bonus. Almost three in ten workers report that they participate in a pension fund and this is remarkably high in the tea estates, thereby partly compensating the low wages in the sector. Participation in an unemployment fund, a disability fund or medical insurance is hardly observed, but entitlement to paid sick leave and access to medical facilites is frequently mentioned. Female workers participate more than males in all funds and facilities. Compared to workers in the other three sectors, workers in tea gardens and estates participate more in all funds apart from paid sick leave. Social security is almost absent in the construction sector. Does the employer provide non-monetary provisions such as food, housing, clothing, or transport? Food is reported by almost two in ten workers, housing is also reported by more than three in ten workers, clothing by hardly any worker and transport by just over one in ten workers. Food and housing are substantially more often reported in the tea gardens and estates than in the other sectors. A third of the workers reports that overtime hours are paid as normal hours plus a premium, a third reports that overtime hours are paid as normal hours and another third reports that these extra hours are not paid. The latter is particularly the case in construction, although construction workers work long contractual hours they hardly have “overtime hours”, making not paying overtime hours not a major problem.

Living Wage calculations aim to indicate a wage level that allows families to lead decent lives. It represents an estimate of the monthly expenses necessary to cover the cost of food, housing, transportation, health, education, water, phone and clothing. The prices of 61 food items, housing and transportation have been collected by means of a Cost-of-Living Survey, resulting in 19,252 prices. In Chattagram the living wage for a typical family is BDT 13,000 for a full-time working adult. In Dhaka the living wage for a typical family is BDT 14,400 for a full-time working adult. In both regions the wages of the lowest paid quarter of the semi-skilled workers are only sufficient for the living wage level of a single adult, the wages of the middle paid quarter are sufficient for a single adult and a standard 2+2 family, and the wages in the highest paid quarter are sufficient for a single adult, a standard 2+2 family, and a typical family. In Sylhet the living wage for a typical family is BDT 16,800 for a full-time working adult. In Sylhet the wages of the semi-skilled workers are not sufficient for the living wage level of a single adult, let alone for a standard 2+2 family or a typical family. However, the reader should take into account that these earnings are primarily based on the wages in the tea gardens and estates, where employers provide non-monetary provisions such as housing and food. Nevertheless, the wages in Sylhet are not sufficient for a living wage.

Employment contracts. Whereas almost all workers in construction have no contract, in the leather industry workers have predominantly a permanent contract, specifically in Chattagram. In RMG the workers in Chattagram mostly have a permanent contract, whereas in Dhaka this is only the case for four in ten workers. RMG workers in Dhaka are in majority hired through a labour intermediary. Workers in the tea gardens and estates in Chattagram in majority have no contract, whereas in Sylhet they have in majority a permanent contract. On average the workers have eleven years of work experience. Almost half of the employees say they have been promoted in their current workplace.

COVID-19 Absenteeism from work was very high in the first months of the pandemic, when the government ordered a general lock down (closure) for all industries. Almost all workers in construction, RMG and leather reported that they were absent from work from late March to late May 2020. Female workers were far less absent than male workers, and this is primarily due to the fact that the tea gardens and estates with their highly female workforce did not close. From 77% in March-May absenteeism tremendously dropped till 5% in June-September. By September the number of absent days had dropped to almost zero in all sectors. Absenteeism was predominantly due to workplace closures, but in some cases due to the unavailability of transport. More than eight all absent workers faced a wage reduction. Wage reduction has been applied equally across the various groups of workers. The workers who faced reduced earnings reported borrowing from family or friends (66% of those who faced wage reduction), receiving food distribution of the government (23%), borrowing from a micro lenders (MFI) (20%), borrowing from other small lenders (14%), receiving rations from the employer (9%) or receiving cash assistance from the government or from non-governmental institutions (both 4%). Male workers have borrowed from family or friends more often than female workers, and so did workers aged 40-49 and couples with more than two children.

COVID-19 Hygiene at the workplace After return to work workers have assessed hygiene at the workplace and the supply of hygiene facilities. Workers are most positive about the safe distance or space in dining seating areas (56% assesses this as a low risk), followed by the independent use of all work equipment, as opposed to shared (46%). They were least positive about a safe distance between work stations and number of washrooms/toilets, and more than two in ten workers assess the number of washrooms/toilets even as a high risk. Handwashing facilities are by a large majority of the workers assessed as adequate with a low risk. In contrast, gloves were certainly not adequately supplied, as more than seven in ten workers state that these are not adequately supplied. This may be due to the fact that use of gloves could affect workers’ productivity, depending on the occupations.

The monthly minimum wage in Russia as of January 1, 2025, amounted to ****** Russian rubles, or approximately *** U.S. dollars using the exchange rate as of February 28, 2025. In the capital Moscow, it was set at ****** Russian rubles, or around *** U.S. dollars. In the country's second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, it was lower, at ****** Russian rubles. Since 2021, the minimum wage in Russia has been calculated as 42 percent of the median wage. Between 2018 and 2020, it equaled to the minimum cost of living that was set in the country. The poor and the rich in Russia Around ** million residents lived under the poverty line in Russia. Those earning the highest 20 percent of income accounted for approximately ** percent of the total composite monetary income in 2023, while the group with the lowest income had a ***-percent share. Regional disparities The economic disparity was also observed across Russian federal subjects. The median monthly wage ranged from ****** Russian rubles in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic to ****** Russian rubles in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug between September 2018 and August 2019. Minimum wage thresholds can be regulated by regional authorities, as long as they are not lower than the federal minimum wage.

According to a recent study, Colombia had the lowest monthly cost of living in Latin America with 546 U.S. dollars needed for basic living. In contrast, four countries had a cost of living above one thousand dollars, Costa Rica, Chile, Panama and Uruguay. In 2022, the highest minimum wage in the region was recorded by Ecuador with 425 dollars per month.

Can Latin Americans survive on a minimum wage? Even if most countries in Latin America have instated laws to guarantee citizens a basic income, these minimum standards are often not enough to meet household needs. For instance, it was estimated that almost 22 million people in Mexico lacked basic housing services. Salary levels also vary greatly among Latin American economies. In 2022, the average net monthly salary in Brazil was lower than Ecuador's minimum wage.

What can a minimum wage afford in Latin America? Latin American real wages have generally risen in the past decade. However, consumers in this region still struggle to afford non-basic goods, such as tech products. Recent estimates reveal that, in order to buy an iPhone, Brazilian residents would have to work more than two months to be able to pay for it. A gaming console, on the other hand, could easily cost a Latin American worker several minimum wages.

Minimum Wages in Philippines remained unchanged at 645 PHP/day in 2025 from 645 PHP/day in 2024. This dataset provides - Philippines Minimum Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The German Internet Panel (GIP) is an infrastructure project. The GIP serves to collect data about individual attitudes and preferences which are relevant for political and economic decision-making processes.

Experimental variations in the instruments were used as well as a cross-questionnaire experiment on intermediate feedback of the interviewee.

The questionnaire contains numerous randomizations (e.g. order of decision blocks, order of the 4 decision situations within the blocks, order of the columns in each decision, order of option A and B).

In the cross-questionnaire experiment, the introductory texts are either presented on a separate intermediate page or together with the first question of the new questionnaire block. The experimental group was stored in its own variable.

1. Preferences and interests with regard to working life: The question was asked in relation to the current and the last working activity: Working hours per week; overtime hours; number of overtime hours per week; paid overtime hours; preferred weekly working hours; monthly earnings (net); year of last salary payment; preferences for selected options regarding working hours per week, monthly earnings (net) and income from other sources; living with a partner; partner´s occupation; number of children (natural, adopted or foster and stepchildren) and age of children; common household with children.

2. Leisure time: number of holiday trips of at least 1 week duration and weekend trips of at least 2 overnight stays abroad in 2012; amount of household expenses in the last month; amount of personal expenses for clothing and shoes.

3. Assessment of the probability of the occurrence of selected events in the next five years (in percent): pension reduction, increase in retirement age, increase or decrease in income tax rates, introduction of a nationwide minimum wage in Germany; assessment of the probability of the occurrence of selected events in the next 12 months (in percent): loss of job, finding a new job, rising cost of living; lowest or highest possible monthly wage for a new job (in euros), assessment of the probability in percent that the monthly wage for a new job is at least sum x.

4. Abortion, genetic test: attitude towards abortion in the event of damage to the child, completion of family planning, serious health risk to the woman due to pregnancy, low family income, pregnancy as a result of rape, lack of intention to marry, and irrespective of a reason; attitude towards carrying out genetic tests to clarify genetic defects in the unborn child.

Demography: sex; citizenship; year of birth (categorised); highest school leaving certificate; highest professional qualification; marital status; household size; employment status; private Internet use; federal state.

Additionally coded was: interview date; questionnaire evaluation; overall assessment of the survey; unique ID, household ID and person ID within the household; federal state from which the respondent took part in the survey; participation in the survey outside Germany; location from which the survey was conducted (e.g. family, public location or on the road); permission to automatically collect geodata; group membership in experiments.

Residents in private households between 16 and 75 years of age

Poland recorded the highest purchasing power of statutory wages in Central and Eastern Europe, at ***** PPS euros. Slovenia and Lithuania followed Poland. The cost of living in most Central and Eastern European countries is below average compared to the rest of the European Union.

Average hourly and weekly wage rate, and median hourly and weekly wage rate by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), type of work, gender, and age group.

Data derived from weekly public opinion polls in the Netherlands in 1994 concerning social and political issues. Samples were drawn from the Dutch population aged 18 years and older.

All data from the surveys held between 1962 and 2000 are available in the DANS data collections.

Background variables: Sex / age / religion / income / vote recall latest elections / party preference / level of education / union membership / professional status / < self > left-right rating / party alignment / province / degree of urbanization / weight factor.
New 'background' variable has been introduced from week 27 on: 'If stated not knowing what party to vote for at next elections: What party will have most chances that respondent will vote for?'

Topical variables: n9405: Likely to vote for next municipal elections

Costa Rica is the country with the highest minimum monthly wage in Latin America. According to the minimum salary established by law as of January 2025, workers in the Central American country enjoy a basic monthly wage of over 726 U.S. dollars, an increase of 2.37 percent compared to the previous year. They also earn over 200 U.S. dollars more than the second place, Uruguay. On the other side of the spectrum is Venezuela, where employees are only guaranteed by law a minimum salary of 130 bolívares or little more than 2.50 dollars per month. Can Latin Americans survive on a minimum wage? Even if most countries in Latin America have instated laws to guarantee citizens a basic income, these minimum standards are often not enough to meet household needs. For instance, it was estimated that almost 25 million people in Mexico lacked basic housing services. Salary levels also vary greatly among Latin American economies. In 2020, the average net monthly salary in Mexico was barely higher than Chile's minimum wage in 2021. What can a minimum wage afford in Latin America? Latin American real wages have generally risen in the past decade. However, consumers in this region still struggle to afford non-basic goods, such as tech products. Recent estimates reveal that, in order to buy an iPhone, Brazilian residents would have to work at least two months to be able to pay for it. A gaming console, on the other hand, could easily cost a Latin American worker several minimum wages.

Between April 2008 and March 2024, households from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income out of all ethnic groups, before and after housing costs.

The structure of the household data file (file "H") is incorrect: the file contains an identical record for each household, duplicated for the number of its members (44,622 cases), instead of a single record for each household (18,487 cases). Pending a new release from the source, it is recommended to delete duplicate cases and keep only one case for each household ID (variable 'HB030'). The EU-SILC project (European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, EU Regulation, 2003) is one of the main sources of data for EU periodic reports on the social situation and the spread of poverty in the member countries. This is a sample survey on households for the analysis of income distribution, welfare and quality of life of families, as well as economic and social policies at national and/or European level. Italy participates in the project with the survey on living conditions (UDB IT SILC), conducted every year since 2004, providing both cross-sectional and longitudinal (households remain in the sample for four consecutive years) statistics. The income data refer to the calendar year previous to the survey, while data on the families' living conditions reflect the status detected at the time of the interview. At the household level is detected the following information: - characteristics of the house in which he lives: dwelling or neighborhood problems; condominium maintenance fees; charges for heating, water, gas, electricity, sanitation, telephone; housing expenses incurred for ordinary and extraordinary repairs, contributions to the costs incurred; possession of goods (washing machine, TV, refrigerator, car, etc.); housing tenure - rent and subletting: the amount of the rent; type of contract; difficult to pay the rent; presence of public support contributions - home ownership: the presence of a mortgage and its features - economic situation: the presence of one or more loans from banks and/or financial companies; chance to go on vacation; opportunity to buy meat, chicken or fish, ability to deal with unexpected expenses; difficult to get to the end of the month with the available income; presence of forms of income support (family benefits, maternity); income from rent and work; presence of hard economic times; help (economic and otherwise) by other persons; use of social card - incomes from young people under 16 years in the household At the individual level is detected the following information: - Education: degree; attend training - health: health status; presence of chronic diseases; the presence of limitations in activities performed routinely; need for visits to the dentist and/or emotional medical specialist, and why not visit - employment and unemployment: employment status; if he does not work, what activities he carried out to look for work; looking for a full or partial time job; minimum monthly income to what would be willing to work - main job (or work performed in the past): profession; career field; type of contract; working and/or contract changes in the last year; hours worked; years of work and pension contributions; professional status for each month in the reference year - goods and services by the employer: free accommodation; expenses refund for supplies; lunch vouchers; car or other vehicle; other personal expenses - self-employment: spending power; gain, draw or loss over the previous year; income from royalties; maternity allowance and/or parental leave - statement of income: employment/self-employment income (including additional fees); income from Co.Co.Co. and Co.Co.Pro. contracts; retirement income; income from disability payments, accidents at work; unemployment benefits; layoff gains; scholarships; family allowances - other information: payment of allowances to ex-spouse/ex-partner or children; voluntary pension plans; presence of savings and how they are invested; income from land or buildings; IMU; completion of the tax return - personal goods and leisure activities: availability of new clothes and shoes; conducting leisure activities (cinema, concerts, sports, etc.); use of public transport - Wellness: degree of satisfaction with their lives, with their own economic situation, with the house in which they live and with their work; time taken to travel to work; degree of satisfaction with the leisure time at its disposal, with personal relationships, with available services; state of mental health; degree of trust in institutions 18.487 families, 44.622 individuals. Two-stage stratified random sample Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)

Trend study on changes in general opinions and attitudes of the Dutch population. The international part of the survey has the environment and national versus international orientation as topical focus.Oral interview: unpaid voluntary job, unpaid social support to others / willingness to work shorter hours ( in exchange for cut in payment ) / job satisfaction / satisfaction with life / prosperity, private and national, future expectations / most important national socio-economic issues / role of government in: socio-economic equality, public services, education, housing, environment / level of government spending / taxation / personal life: worries, satisfaction with housing, work, health, marriage / satisfaction with income, future expectations / social benefits: expected future levels, satisfaction in general and with specific benefits: AOW, ABW, WW, AWW, WAO, AAW, ZW/ estimated abuse in general and for specific benefits / policy alternatives social security system: minimalization ( mini-stelsel ) , basic income ( basisinkomen ) , forced public service for the unemployed / preferred relationship between levels of: social benefits, wages, cost of living, minimum wage ( koppeling ) / differences in income and property / worker's say / basic rights / civil rights, freedom of expression, strike, social action / education: equality of chances, educational policy / elderly: pensions, financial and social position, work, characteristics compared with youth, discrimination / generation gap: differences in opinion between generations, their values and beliefs, tolerance towards other generations / religion: religiousness, involvement in church activities / most important goal in life / family life: mode of cohabitation, children, child care, working mothers, gender roles / having children: acceptance of ( not ) having children in specific situations, in vitro fertilization, gender selection of baby / euthanasia / freedom and autonomy for children / extramarital permissiveness / crime, justice, safety: perceived increase in crime rate, punishment, use of drugs / social participation / politics: exposure to political items on television and in newspapers, reading about local politics, political preferences, activity and interest, sense of political efficacy, democratic attitude, political goals, ( acceptance of ) political activism, opinion leadership / environment, pollution: efficiency of measures, own behaviour and specific activities, willingness to pay for cleaner environment, energy saving measures, attitude towards environmental problems / ethnocentrism, cultural and ethnic minorities, foreigners, racism, discrimination, immigration policy, acculturation / appreciation of big cities / attitudes towards various topics: social inequality, abortion, role of government, emancipation of women, income levels, immigration / rating of government policy in several fields, satisfaction with government. Self administered questionnaire ( International part ): localism, nationalism, international orientation / national pride, patriotism / acculturation of minorities / perceived relation immigrants and: crime rates, economic growth, unemployment, cultural innovation / immigration level / political refugees / having lived abroad / home language, mother tongue / other foreign languages spoken / ethnic background / knowledge of and attitude towards European Union / opinion on: easier naturalization for immigrants, stricter measures against illegal immigrants. Background variables: basic characteristics/ place of birth/ residence/ household characteristics/ occupation/employment/ income/capital assets/ education/ social class/ politics/ religion/ readership, mass media, and 'cultural' exposure/ organizational membership.The data- and documentation files of this dataset can be downloaded via the option Data Files.

In 2025, the minimum hourly wage in Beijing was the highest in China at 26.4 yuan per hour. In the past decade, China has been shifting from a cheap labor driven economy to more matured, service-oriented markets and industries. While the economy continues to grow, prices and wages keep on increasing as well. How do wages differ across the country? China’s provinces and municipalities are divided into districts of different levels. Most provinces set different minimum wages for different districts depending on the cost of living and level of development. Usually, provincial capitals and major cities enjoy higher hourly wages than smaller towns and rural areas of the same province. In 2025, the highest minimum hourly wages in China were to be found in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities with 26.4 and 24.4 yuan respectively, whereas employees in Hainan province who received a minimum wage were paid the least – between 16.3 and 17.9 yuan per hour. Minimum monthly wages that year were the highest in Shanghai and the lowest in Qinghai province. The average annual salary in urban China was around 120,700 yuan in 2023. What are the prospects? Regional governments in China are required to update their minimum wages at least every few years. Hebei, Fujian, and Guangdong – provinces that have not adjusted minimum wages in the past two years – are likely to do so in 2025. Along with economic development, increasing living standards, increasing prices and a shrinking labor force, overall minimum wages will likely continue growing in China.

Minimum Wages in El Salvador increased to 408.80 USD/Month in 2025 from 365 USD/Month in 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for El Salvador Minimum Wages.