Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has ordered a 275 percent increase in the monthly minimum wage, the third hike this year, as hyperinflation drains the value of workers’ salaries.
The minimum monthly wage rose to 150,000 bolivars ($8) from 40,000. In addition, workers will receive a food bonus of 150,000 bolivars.
Despite the increase, the new 150,000 bolivars wage barely amounts to enough to buy four kilos of meat. Annual inflation in Venezuela is currently running at around 50,100 percent, according to figures produced by the opposition-led National Assembly. The government does not provide data on price rises. According to Bloomberg’s Cafe Con Leche Index inflation is running at 19,900 percent annually.
Venezuela’s severe economic crisis, including hyperinflation, a private sector in ruins and a shortage of basic goods, has forced more than four million Venezuelans to leave the country, according to the United Nations.
In 2018, Maduro ordered six hikes to the minimum wage but Venezuelans’ purchasing power still ended the year lower. Maduro has tried to avoid increasing the minimum wage this year to curb inflation that has included austere economic policies from the central bank.
Comments (0)
We appreciate your feedback. You can comment here with your pseudonym or real name. You can leave a comment with or without entering an email address. All comments will be reviewed before they are published.