By Yoon Sat - Nov 15, 2024
The unadjusted minimum daily wage in Myanmar has become insufficient to afford the rising cost of living, with the price of a single bowl of tomato fish paste curry now exceeding the daily wage of the workers.
As commodity prices soar, a bowl of this basic dish costs between 6,000 MMK and 7,000 MMK, while the daily minimum wage remains at just 4,800 MMK, making it increasingly out of reach for workers.
To prepare a bowl of tomato fish paste curry, costs include 20 kyat thars (326g) of tomatos (2,400 MMK), green chilies (500 MMK), coriander leaves (500 MMK), fermented fish paste (1,000 MMK), 10 kyat thars (163g) of cooking oil (1,000 MMK), and side vegetables such as roselle leaves or sour greens. These add up to 6,000-7,000 MMK per meal, highlighting the disparity between wages and basic food costs.
“The daily wage has not increased from 4,800 MMK. They only raised the allowance by 1,000 MMK. But while allowances go up slightly, commodity prices have doubled, making it even harder to cope. Cooking a bowl of tomato fish paste curry can cost up to 7,000 or 8,000 MMK. It’s not just meat or fish prices that are rising; even vegetables are becoming unaffordable,” a worker said.
Myanmar's minimum daily wage of 4,800 MMK has been unchanged since it was established in 2018. Though the government increased allowances by 1,000 MMK twice in recent years, bringing the total daily pay to 6,800 MMK, this adjustment has done little to offset the rising cost of living.
“My monthly salary is around 350,000 MMK after working for two years. That includes overtime pay. Without overtime, it’s just about 280,000 MMK. It’s still not enough. Commodity prices keep rising steadily. Even if wages are increased by 1,000 MMK per day, that’s only 30,000 MMK more per month, which doesn’t make much difference,” another worker said.
According to Myanmar’s labor law, minimum wages are supposed to be reviewed and revised every two years. However, no adjustments have been made since 2018. Although the government added a 1,000 MMK allowance in October 2023, the base minimum wage of 4,800 MMK remains unchanged. As a result, workers are struggling to meet basic living costs amidst skyrocketing prices.
