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.)
5. Netherlands, £9.77
The Netherlands' Government website (government.nl) reveals that those who are 21 or older working 36 hours per week receive the highest hourly minimum wage at 11.26 euros. Photo: gianliguori via Canva Pro
6. Belgium, £9.71
Belgium's Federal Public Service (employment.belgium.be) confirms that as of April 1, 2022, the minimum wage equals €1,842.28 for a 38-hour work week or €11.19 hourly. Photo: waldomiguez via Canva Pro
7. France, £9.60
WageIndicator.Org reports that statutory minimum wages in France were increased to €1,678.95 per month as of August this year, this turns out at €11.07 hourly. Photo: 27707 via Canva Pro
8. Monaco, £9.60
WageIndicator.Org reports that between August and September this year the minimum wage was revised in Monaco and it now sits at €11.07 per hour. Photo: JESHOOTS via Canva Pro