国际劳工组织：2022-23全球工资报告_148页_5mb

Global Wage Report 2022-23: The Impact of Inflation and COVID-19 on Wages and Purchasing Power

Core Content

The Global Wage Report 2022-23 examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis on wages and purchasing power across the world. It is the eighth edition of the report and highlights the first negative global real wage growth in over a century, while real productivity continues to rise. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of wage trends, inequality, and the role of wage policy in addressing these challenges.

Main Findings and Key Points

Global Real Wage Growth

• Negative real wage growth was recorded globally in the first half of 2022, the first such occurrence since 2008.
• Excluding China, real wage growth fell to -1.4% in the same period.
• In G20 advanced economies, real wage growth was -2.2% in the first half of 2022, while emerging economies saw a 0.8% increase.
• The gap between productivity and wage growth reached 12.6 percentage points in 2022, the widest since the 21st century.

Impact of Inflation on Purchasing Power

• Inflation disproportionately affects low-income households, which spend a higher share of their income on essential goods and services (e.g., food, housing, transport) that have seen faster price increases than non-essential items.
• In Mexico, the bottom decile spends 42% of income on food, while the top decile spends only 14%.
• The cost of living increase for low-income households was 1–4 percentage points higher than for high-income households in many countries.
• Minimum wages have lost real value in several countries, including Bulgaria, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, the UK, and the US, due to accelerating inflation.

Impact of the Pandemic on Wages and Employment

• Job losses and reduced working hours were the primary causes of the decline in the total wage bill during the first two years of the pandemic.
• In 2020, the total wage bill fell by 1–26% in 20 of 28 countries analyzed.
• The average decline in the total wage bill for these 28 countries was 6.2%, equivalent to three weeks of wages lost per worker.
• In 2021, the decline was 4 weeks of wages in 2020 and 2 weeks in 2021, indicating a cumulative loss of 6 weeks of wages.
• Low- and middle-income countries experienced a greater decline in total real wage bills compared to high-income countries, which benefited from job retention schemes and wage subsidies.

Wage Inequality and Gender Pay Gap

• The pandemic and inflation have increased wage inequality both within and between countries.
• The composition effect (shift in employment structure) contributed to higher average wage growth in some countries during the pandemic, but this did not benefit all workers equally.
• Women wage earners were disproportionately affected, with greater wage losses and lower recovery compared to men.
• The factor-weighted gender pay gap widened in many countries, and raw gender pay gaps also increased, highlighting systemic inequalities.

Policy Recommendations

• The report suggests macroeconomic policies to address the cost-of-living crisis.
• Strengthening labour market institutions and wage policies is crucial to protect workers' incomes.
• Support for vulnerable households during high inflation is needed, including targeted assistance and social safety nets.
• Tackling the gender pay gap requires policy interventions to promote equal pay for equal work.
• Multilateral cooperation is essential to address global wage challenges, as no single country can solve these issues alone.

Key Trends by Region

Conclusion

The Global Wage Report 2022-23 underscores the deepening economic and social challenges caused by the pandemic and inflation. It highlights the increased inequality and erosion of purchasing power, particularly for low-income and female workers. The report calls for urgent policy action to restore wage growth, support vulnerable households, and promote social justice in the global economy.