Comparing Living Wages in garments: Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Egypt

The need for implementing Living Wages in the garment sector is often discussed. In most garment producing countries, the gaps between Minimum Wages and actual paid wages in relation to Living Wage levels are large. However, not all countries have the same gap, and the steps to get to a Living Wage might differ.

A Simple Step-by-Step Approach to Living Wages

That’s why we and relevant experts started thinking about how to simplify the steps towards a Living Wage. The steps show the percentages of the Living Wage, like 30%, 50%, 75% and 100% to see what progression can look like. WageIndicator initially presented this in Myanmar in discussion with a group of factory owners, brands, worker rights groups and trade unions.

What the Data Shows in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Egypt

The result? It sparked an open discussion about how wages are now somewhere close to C or B or A. For this analysis, we compared Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Egypt. All countries that produce garments, but that operate in vastly different political and economic conditions. Do these simple steps help to get more clarity on progression towards Living Wages?