Global wage report 2010/11 wage policies in times of crisis (International Labour Office, 2010)
Viewed on Jan. 21, 2011
The second in a series of ILO reports focusing on wage developments, this volume reviews the global and regional wage trends during the years of the economic and financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. In Part I, the report highlights the slow down in the growth of monthly average wages as well as some short-term fluctuations in the wage share. These changes happened against a backdrop of wage moderation in the years before the crisis and a long-term trend of rising wage inequality since the mid-1990s. Part II of the report discusses the role of wage policies in times of crisis and recovery. Collective bargaining and minimum wages can help achieve a balanced and equitable recovery by ensuring that working families share in the fruits of future economic growth. At the same time, preventing the purchasing power of low-paid workers from falling can contribute to a faster recovery by sustaining aggregate demand. The report shows that policy strategies and design are crucial to ensure that low-paid workers benefit from union representation and minimum wages, and argues that wage policies must be complemented with carefully crafted in-work benefits and other income transfers. Part III concludes with a summary of the report and highlights issues that are critical for improving wage policies
Includes bibliographical references (pages 99-107)
Preface; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I Major trends in wages; 1 Growth of average wages; 1.1 Global estimates; 1.2 Regional estimates; 1.3 Average wages and productivity; 2 The wage share; 2.1 Recent trends in national wage shares; 2.2 Trends at the sectoral level; 3 Wage inequality and low pay; 3.1 Recent trends: Increasing incidence of low pay; 3.2 Characteristics of low-paid workers; Part II Wages policies in times of crisis; 4 The role of wage policies; 4.1 Social justice and equity; 4.2 The macroeconomic effects of wages; 4.3 Market imperfections