Living Wages Compared with Wage Benchmarks: OECD Workshop Presentation

Abstract

Living Wage Workshop - 9 November 2021 - Virtual workshop organised by the OECD Centre on Well-being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE). Agenda

While work is the surest route to escape poverty, employment alone does not always guarantee an adequate living standard. On average, in the OECD area, almost one-in-ten individuals living in households with at least one worker are poor, with poverty sometimes affecting even households with two wage-earners. The rising cost of essentials (e.g. housing, education, health-care), high underemployment rates, a sluggish wage growth and relatively low statutory minimum wages in some OECD countries are posing a threat to the living standards of a large swathe of workers. Against this backdrop and pushed by a number of initiatives and campaigns, the living wage concept has emerged as a concrete way not only to meet a worker’s basic needs but also to respect their dignity and promote the financial resilience of their families. Despite the great progress being made by civil society and private sector in promoting and advancing the operationalisation of a living wage, there is still scope for strengthening existing approaches and promoting joined-up and coherent action from private and public actors alike.

The goals of this workshop are:

• Introducing the main concepts underlying living wage and reviewing international methodologies to estimate it;
• Exploring how external data and statistical practises could be used to improve these methodologies and discussing what type of data statistical offices should produce to promote further convergence;
• Discussing how governments, NGO’s and civil society can contribute to the living wage movement through multi-stakeholder alliances.