The following content was published in Newsflash 2022/54 – COMMENTS INVITED: PROPOSALS REGARDING THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE RATES

The National Minimum Wage Commission is established by the National Minimum Wage Act and is mandated to every year investigate and measure the impact of the national minimum wage rates against a list of seven economic factors, of which employment (or unemployment) is arguably the most important.

Following the annual investigation, the Commission prepares a report that includes a recommendation to either increase, leave unchanged, or reduce, the minimum wage rates for the following year, and submits it to Government for a final decision.

The final adjusted national minimum wage rates are usually issued in late January or early February and at the request of the PAGSA at the inception of this process, are made effective from 1st March for the tax year that follows.

The Commission has invited us to submit written representations on the effectiveness and impact of the national minimum wage for their consideration, taking into account the following medium-term target:

“All wage-earning workers must earn enough to maintain a decent standard of living, defined as sufficient to support themselves and their families at a level that is both socially acceptable and economtcally viable, The target should ensure that the value of the national minimum wage does not decline relative to the median wage.”

Please email your comments to [email protected] no later than 8 January 2023.