According to A Survey conducted by an international e-commerce company, Minimum wages in Islamabad and Punjab surged 14.4% in January 2022 as compared to the same month last year.
As per the survey minimum wages in these two regions increased to Rs. 19,870 in January 2022 from Rs. 17,370 in January 2021. In terms of the US Dollar, the minimum wage in Pakistan reached $114.
On the other hand, the minimum wage in India reached $96 in the same period. In comparison, the minimum wage in Pakistan increased by 18.8% more in January 2022 than in India.
The survey which compares the increase in minimum wages for January this year includes 64 countries and Pakistan has been ranked at 12th place for the highest jump in the minimum wage.
Note that this isn’t the federal minimum wage and the survey is applicable to only Islamabad and Punjab.
Overall, Montenegro recorded an increase of 102.7% in the minimum wage in January 2022 as compared to the same month last year, which ranks it at the top of the survey. The survey noted that Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Nigeria also continued tax exemptions for individuals earning minimum wage.
The survey also compared the prices of eight essential food items with the minimum wage. These items are bread (10 loaves), milk (10 liters), rice (1.5 kg), eggs (20 pieces), cheese (1 kg), meat (6 kg), fruits (6 kg), and vegetables (4 kg).
It noted that these quantities of essential food items are enough to fulfill the basic nutrient requirements of an average adult earning the minimum wage.
