A minimum wage refers to the lowest quantity of money that employees in a country are legally entitled to for a given unit of labour. In the UK we call this the National Minimum Wage which is defined as the “minimum pay per hour almost all workers are entitled to.”
Originally, minimum wages were implemented to counter the exploitation of workers in sweatshops and support lower-income families, and by the end of the 20th century minimum wages were widespread globally. The current UK national living wage (that is the rate that applies if you’re 23 or older) sits at £9.50 per hour, but how does this compare to other countries? Here are the top 10 countries with the highest minimum wage in the world (for adult workers in regular ‘unskilled’ labour) converted into UK currency for reference.
(Note: this list shows the value of minimum wages but does not serve as an assessment of the countries’ cost of living or other economic factors.)
1. Australia, £11.91
The Australian Government's website (https://fairwork.gov.au/) reveals that as of July 1, 2022, the national minimum wage is $21.38 per hour. Photo: Tourism Australia via Canva Pro
2. Luxembourg, £11.61
WageIndicator.Org reports that as of April, 2022, the minimum wage for 'unskilled workers' in Luxembourg is €13.37 (for skilled labour it sits at €16.05). Photo: hnijssen via Canva Pro
3. New Zealand, £10.64
The New Zealand Government website (https://employment.govt.nz/) reports that from April 1, 2022, their minimum wage for adults is NZ$21.20 per hour. Photo: nadine_simoner via Canva Pro
4. Germany, £10.40
According to German Customs (zoll.de) the minimum wage for adults as of October 1, 2022, is €12.00 per hour. Photo: RudyBalasko via Canva Pro