Implementation gaps in minimum wages: comparison of eight Asian countries

Abstract

Minimum Wages (MW) have been an important policy instrument used by governments for labor market stabilization and also to improve the worki ng conditions. While the re have been ongoing debates about the impact of MW, poor quality implementation has been repeatedly cited as a major challenge. Workers in Asia who account for majority of world's working populationface the brunt of poor implementation. Using data from sources like ILO Working Conditions Laws Database, Wage Indicat or Foundation, official country data and building on past research, we examine MW implementation in eight developing countries in Asia. The comparison provides insights about convergence and divergence in implementation practices, thus increasing the ability to cross learn.