SHAPING THE FUTURE HOW CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN POWER HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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a new income distribution plan in 2013, and<br />
emphasized the importance of job creation and<br />
income distribution in its 12th five-year plan<br />
(2011-2015). The Philippines Development<br />
Plan 2011-2016 similarly stresses the need for<br />
inclusive growth, productive job creation and<br />
multidimensional poverty reduction. Papua New<br />
Guinea’s Development Strategic Plan 2010-<br />
2030 charts the vision of a fair and equitable<br />
society where benefits reach all segments of the<br />
population. 42<br />
One of the key national policy instruments<br />
to tackle pervasive low wages is wage-setting,<br />
which protects the basic needs of workers and<br />
their families. It curbs poverty, and ensures<br />
a basic quality of life by eradicating hunger,<br />
providing minimum health benefits, and easing<br />
access to education and childcare, all of which<br />
positively contribute to human well-being and<br />
workers’ productivity. The entire package of<br />
a minimum wage policy needs to be carefully<br />
crafted to mitigate impacts on employment,<br />
international competitiveness and inflation.<br />
Since 2012, more than 20 Asia-Pacific<br />
countries have revised their minimum wage<br />
policies, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia,<br />
Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam (Box<br />
2.6). In 2013, Malaysia’s new minimum wage<br />
increased the basic salary to RM 900 per month<br />
in the Malaysian Peninsula and to RM 800 per<br />
month in Sabah and Sarawak, with the aim<br />
of supporting inclusive growth as the country<br />
plans to transition from middle-income to<br />
higher-income status. In Viet Nam, soaring<br />
inflation of 23 percent in 2008 triggered a rise<br />
in minimum wages. Since then, several increases<br />
have helped workers keep up with high prices<br />
for food, education and health care, and served<br />
as a response to strikes by factory workers in<br />
Hanoi and elsewhere. 43<br />
BOX 2.6:<br />
Recent revisions to minimum wage packages<br />
Minimum wage<br />
policies need to<br />
be crafted without<br />
adverse impacts<br />
on employment,<br />
competitiveness<br />
or inflation<br />
CHINA USES <strong>THE</strong> MINIMUM WAGE TO<br />
REDUCE GAPS AND ENCOURAGE MOVEMENT<br />
TO CITIES<br />
As part of its efforts to reduce wage gaps between<br />
the rich and poor, China has been paying close<br />
attention to minimum wages since 2008. City and<br />
provincial governments set the minimum wage<br />
every two years, ensuring a cost-of-living adjustment<br />
and adhering to a nationwide increase. This<br />
also supports the national plan for moving more<br />
rural workers to cities, where labour productivity<br />
and contribution to GDP is much higher. In the<br />
first quarter of 2014, minimum wages rose in the<br />
cities of Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Beijing,<br />
with Shanghai minimum-wage earners bringing<br />
home the highest pay at $293 per month. Shandong,<br />
Shaanxi and Chongqing provinces have<br />
also increased minimum wages recently. Local<br />
governments in places that face labour shortages<br />
will likely follow the same course. 44<br />
THAILAND AIMS FOR INCLUSION WHILE<br />
EASING IMPACTS ON BUSINESS<br />
In 2013, Thailand implemented a new minimum<br />
wage policy of 300 baht a day ($10). In a time of<br />
high growth and low unemployment, the revised<br />
policy is intended to boost worker productivity,<br />
increase consumption and drive innovation without<br />
severely aggravating unemployment. It is also part<br />
of Thailand’s efforts to ensure greater equality,<br />
enhance inclusiveness and enable the country to<br />
avoid the much dreaded middle-income trap.<br />
The policy will equate wages across all provinces,<br />
and therefore some provinces will see a significant<br />
hike. While it will protect marginalized, low-income<br />
people, costs will inevitably rise for businesses,<br />
particularly small and medium enterprises in provincial<br />
areas, and will increase the prices of Thai<br />
products in global markets. The Government is<br />
taking proactive measures to counter these impacts<br />
by curbing the corporate tax from 30 percent to 20<br />
percent, increasing provisions for lower interest<br />
government loans and reducing rents for stateowned<br />
land used by businesses. It also anticipates<br />
that competition will increase, and in turn bolster<br />
efficiency in production, incentivize skill-building<br />
especially for low-skill workers, and support the<br />
economy in moving towards products requiring<br />
higher-skills. 45<br />
72<br />
Sources: Center for Migrant Advocacy 2011, The Philippine Migrants Watch, ILO 2014b, China Briefing 2014, The Asia<br />
Foundation 2013.