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Miinimumpalk
Termin „miinimumpalk“ viitab mitmesugustele regulatiivpiirangutele seoses väikseima töötasuga, mida tööandjad maksavad töötajatele. Seadusjärgset miinimumpalka reguleerivad ametlikud õigusaktid või põhimäärused. Kollektiivselt kokkulepitud miinimumid on sätestatud ametiühingute ja tööandjate vahelistes kollektiivlepingutes.
The adequacy of minimum wages established by the EU Minimum Wage Directive shall be assessed on two dimensions: fairness and the provision of a decent standard of living. It is...
This 2024 annual review of minimum wages provides a synopsis of minimum wage setting during 2023 in the EU27 and Norway. It reports in detail on the processes and outcomes...
Enamik ELi liikmesriike on kehtestanud seadusjärgse riikliku miinimumpalga, kuigi selle tase, kohandamismehhanismid ja ulatus on erinevad. Austria, Itaalia, Rootsi, Soome ja Taani on kehtestanud miinimumpalgad kollektiivlepingutega, samas on Küpros kehtestanud seadusejärgsed palgamäärad eri kutsealadele.
ELi institutsioonid kuulutasid 2017. aasta novembris ühiselt välja Euroopa sotsiaalõiguste samba, milles sätestati ELi kohustus tagada töötajatele õiglane töötasu. See hõlmab töötajatele piisava töötasu tagamist, mis võimaldab neile ja nende perekondadele inimväärse elatustaseme, madala kvalifikatsiooniga ja noorte töötajate tööhõivevõimaluste kaitsmist ning samas töö muutmist rahaliselt atraktiivseks.
2019. aasta detsembris ametisse asunud Euroopa Komisjoni uus koosseis kordas kõnealust kohustust, võttes päevakorda miinimumpalga reformimise ELi algatuse. Komisjoni visioon tugevast sotsiaalsest Euroopast valmistab ette sotsiaalõigustesamba rakendamise tegevuskava. Pärast sotsiaalpartneritega veebruaris ja juunis peetud kaht konsultatsioonivooru esitas komisjon 28. oktoobril 2020 ettepaneku võtta vastu ELi direktiiv piisava miinimumpalga kohta. Eesmärk on, et 2024. aastaks peaksid kõik ELi töötajad saama õiglast ja piisavat töötasu, olenemata sellest, kus nad elavad.
· Peaaegu kõigis liikmesriikides on miinimumpalga saajad valdavalt naised, olenemata sellest, kuidas miinimumpalga saajad on määratletud.
· Kümnendik ELi töötajatest teenis 2017. aastal miinimumpalka (u 10%).
· 2019. aastal arutlesid paljud ELi riigid miinimumpalga täiendava olulise suurendamise üle pärast 2020. aastat, osaliselt seoses suhtelise sihtmärgiga, osaliselt absoluutarvudes.
· Alates aastatuhande vahetusest on seadusjärgsed miinimumpalgad muutunud õiglasemaks kui muud töötajate töötasud (kui võrrelda seadusjärgset miinimumpalka kõigi töötajate mediaanpalgaga).
· Vaatamata tõusvale trendile on miinimumpalk enamikus riikides endiselt alla 60% või isegi alla 50% mediaanpalgast. See kehtib eelkõige Kesk- ja Ida-Euroopa liikmesriikide kohta, kes alustasid väga madalatest suhtelistest tasemetest aastatuhande alguses ja kellel on miinimumpalga õigusaktide sihtmärgid endiselt ligikaudu 50% või vähem.
· Kokku teatab 7 palgatöötajat 10st vähemalt mõningastest toimetulekuraskustest, samas teatab sellest alla 5 muu kui palgatööta 10st. Need arvud on riigiti siiski väga erinevad. Näiteks on miinimumpalgaga töötajaid, kellel on raske või väga raske, Rootsis, Saksamaal, Soomes ja Taanis alla 10%, Bulgaarias, Horvaatias ja Küprosel 50–60% ning Kreekas 80%.
· Valitsused kogu Euroopas reageerivad olukorrale, võttes sissetuleku stabiliseerimise meetmeid, et aidata neid, keda COVID-19 kriis kahjustas. Miinimumpalgal võib olla roll sissetulekute stabiliseerimise poliitikameetmete kombinatsioonis ning seega võib selle kaudu aidata tõkestada majanduslanguse ja majandussurutise allakäiguspiraali.
· Eurofoundi andmebaasist „EU PolicyWatch“ selgub ka, et valitsused viitavad sissetulekutoetuse taseme ülemise või alumise lävendi määramisel sageli seadusejärgsele miinimumpalgale, näiteks lühendatud tööaja korral.
· COVID-19 pandeemia mõjutab tugevalt eelkõige sektoreid ja ameteid, kus miinimumpalgaga töötajate osakaal on suurem, sh põllumajandustöötajad (sektoris on 15% miinimumpalgaga töötajaid ja ligikaudu 20% mõne põllumajandustegevuse korral), jaekaubandustöötajad (13%) ning koristajad ja abilised (25%), kes aitavad ühiskonnal toimida sotsiaalse distantseerumise ja liikumispiirangu ajal.
· Teised sektorid ja ametid, kus miinimumpalgaga töötajate osakaal on suurem – eelkõige majutuse ja külalismajanduse töötajad (16%), kunsti, meelelahutuse, huvitegevuse või koduteenuste sektori töötajad (14%) või isiklikke teenuseid osutavad töötajad (16%) – olid nende hulgas, kes kogesid rahvatervishoiu meetmete mõju kohe COVID-19 pandeemia alguses.
Infographic: Minimum wages in the EU
Most EU Member States have a national minimum wage. But its level, adjustment mechanisms and coverage vary.
Eurofound’s e-survey on Living, working and COVID-19 shows that nearly half of households are struggling to make ends meet.
Eurofound provides regular updates on pay in the EU, including an annual study on how minimum wage rates have developed across the EU (as well as Norway), reviewing how national governments and social partners engage in setting new rates. It also looks at the concept of a living wage, aimed at guaranteeing workers and their families a decent level of living and social participation in response to the inadequacy of income for many working households reliant on existing national minimum wage rates.
Pay developments
The annual review on minimum wages for 2024 summarises how minimum wage rates were set during 2023. Eurofound published a set of minimum wage country profiles in May 2024 which provide detailed background information on how minimum wages are set and regulated in the EU and Norway.
In an earlier study on pay in Europe in the 21st century, Eurofound explored the implications of a hypothetical scenario of a minimum wage coordinated at EU level and set at 60% of the median national wage.
COVID-19 is likely to impact the ongoing minimum wage debate, as many workers delivering essential services during the pandemic are at the bottom of the pay ladder, like workers in retail, food-supply chains or care roles. Others low-wage workers, like workers in the accommodation and food sector, or in leisure and entertainment services, were the first affected by unemployment during the pandemic. It will be important to see how minimum wages can contribute to the policy measures governments and social partners are applying to cushion the economic and social impacts. Eurofound’s e-survey on Living, working and COVID-19 shows that nearly half of households in the EU are struggling to makes ends meet. Minimum wages could play a policy role in stabilising incomes.
Most EU countries have a national minimum wage. A related but distinct concept is that of a living wage, which is a wage designed to secure a basic but acceptable standard of living for its earner (and, in some cases, household dependents). The living wage rate is based on a detailed, regularly updated costing of the basic services and goods required for such a standard of living and is intended in part to reflect the inadequacy of prevailing statutory minima for that end. Living wage campaigns are generally voluntary and rely on coalitions of interest groups, trade unions and employers working together. These campaigns can take on an advocacy role (Ireland) as well as an accreditation role (UK) where organisations are formally accredited as living wage employers. In line with the fair wage provisions set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights, Eurofound research aims to provide policymakers with a practical guide to the living wage concept.
Most EU Member States have a statutory national minimum wage in place, although its level, adjustment mechanisms and coverage vary. Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden have minimum wages set within collective agreements, while Cyprus has statutory rates for different occupations.
The EU institutions jointly proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights in November 2017, setting out the EU’s commitment to fair wages for workers. This includes ensuring adequate wages for workers to allow them and their families to have a decent standard of living, safeguarding the ability of the low-skilled and young workers to find employment, while also making work financially attractive.
The European Commission of 2019–2024 put a reform initiative for an EU minimum wage on the agenda. The Commission’s vision for a strong social Europe prepared the way for an Action Plan to implement the Social Pillar. On 28 October 2020, the Commission put forward a proposal for an EU Directive on adequate minimum wages. This was followed by a political agreement between the European Parliament and the Member States on 7 June 2022. The Minimum Wages Directive was adopted in October 2022. It aims to improve standards of living with a view to achieving upward convergence and reducing in-work poverty, wage inequalities, and the gender pay gap. By November 2024, Member States have to transpose the directive into national law, and ensure that statutory minimum wages are adequate.
In this pilot project, Eurofound successfully established the feasibility of, and piloted, an EU-wide database of minimum pay rates contained in collective agreements related to low-paid workers. A conceptual and...
In the EU, non-compliance with statutory or negotiated minimum wages averages 6.93% or 1.3%, depending on the statistics used. The lowest national estimate is 0.01% in Belgium and the highest...
Aruanne koostatakse kolmeaastase katseprojekti (2021–2023) „Miinimumpalga roll üldise töögarantii kehtestamisel“ raames, mille Euroopa Komisjon on delegeerinud Eurofoundile. See keskendub projekti 3. moodulile, milles uuritakse miinimumpalka ja füüsilisest isikust ettevõtjate muid...
Minimum wages have risen significantly in 2022, as the EU Member States leave behind the cautious mood of the pandemic. However, rising inflation is eating up these wage increases, and...
This series reports on developments in minimum wage rates across the EU, including how they are set and how they have developed over time in nominal and real terms. The...
22 jaanuar 2020
Toimuv tegevus
Eurofound annab korrapäraselt teavet palkade kohta ELis, sealhulgas iga-aastase uuringu kohta, milles käsitletakse miinimumpalga määra arengut kogu ELis (samuti Norras ja Ühendkuningriigis), ning kontrollib, kuidas liikmesriikide valitsused ja sotsiaalpartnerid osalevad uute määrade kehtestamisel. Selles vaadeldakse ka mõistet „äraelamist võimaldava töötasu“, mille eesmärk on tagada töötajatele ja nende peredele inimväärne elatustase ja ühiskonnaelus osalemine vastusena paljude töötavate leibkondade ebapiisavale sissetulekule, mis sõltub kehtivatest seadusjärgsetest miinimumpalga määradest.
Palgamuutused
2021. aasta miinimumpalga aastaülevaates võetakse kokku, kuidas kehtestati miinimumpalga määrad 2020. aastal – COVID-19 pandeemia puhkemise aastal. Aruandes on ülevaade liikmesriikide otsustajate kogetud raskustest ning sellest, kuidas nad reageerisid miinimumpalgaga seotud otsuste tegemisel pandeemiast majanduslikest ja ühiskondlikest tagajärgedest tulenevatele probleemidele. Selles kaardistatakse, mil määral viidati miinimumpalkadele COVID-19 pandeemiaga seotud toetusmeetmetes. Selles käsitletakse piisavat miinimumpalka käsitleva ELi algatuse arengut ning ELi tasandi sotsiaalpartnerite ja riiklike otsustajate reaktsioone.
Varasemas uuringus Euroopa palkade kohta 21. sajandil uuris Eurofound hüpoteetilise stsenaariumi mõju, mille kohaselt ELi tasandil koordineeritud miinimumpalk on 60% riiklikust mediaanpalgast.
COVID-19 mõjutab tõenäoliselt toimuvat arutelu miinimumpalga üle, sest paljud pandeemia ajal olulisi teenuseid osutavad töötajad on palgaastme alumises osas, nt jaemüügi- ja toiduainete tarneahelate töötajad või hooldajad. Esimesena mõjutas töötus teisi madalapalgalisi töötajaid, nt majutus- ja toitlustussektori töötajaid ning ajaviite- ja meelelahutusteenuste osutajaid. Seoses tööpuuduse kasvuga on oluline näha, kuidas miinimumpalgad aitavad kaasa poliitikameetmete kombinatsioonile, mida valitsused ja sotsiaalpartnerid kohaldavad praegu majanduslike ja sotsiaalsete mõjude leevendamiseks. Eurofoundi e-uuring „ Elamine, töötamine ja COVID-19“ näitab, et peaaegu pooled leibkonnad on juba toimetulekuraskustes. Miinimumpalgal võiks olla poliitikas roll sissetulekute stabiliseerimisel.
Enamikul Euroopa Liidu liikmesriikidel on seadusjärgne miinimumpalk. Äraelamist võimaldav töötasu on seotud, kuid erinev mõiste. See on palk, mis tagab palgatöötajale (ja mõnel juhul ka leibkonna ülalpeetavatele) elementaarse, kuid vastuvõetava elatustaseme. Äraelamist võimaldava töötasu määr põhineb sellise elatustaseme saavutamiseks vajalike põhiteenuste ja -kaupade üksikasjalikul, korrapäraselt ajakohastatud kulude arvestamisel ning see on kavandatud osaliselt selleks, et kajastada kehtivate seadusjärgsete miinimumpalkade ebapiisavust selliste eesmärkide saavutamiseks. Äraelamist võimaldava töötasu kampaaniad on üldiselt vabatahtlikud ning tuginevad huvirühmade, ametiühingute ja tööandjate koalitsioonide koostööle. Need kampaaniad võivad täita nii toetavat rolli (Iirimaa) kui ka akrediteerimisrolli (Ühendkuningriik), kus organisatsioonid akrediteeritakse ametlikult äraelamist võimaldavat töötasu maksvate tööandjatena. Eurofoundi uurimistegevuse eesmärk on anda poliitikakujundajatele praktiline juhend mõiste „äraelamist võimaldava töötasu“ kohta, mis on kooskõlas sotsiaalõiguste samba õiglase töötasu sätetega.
Eurofound viib Euroopa Parlamendi ja komisjoni palvel läbi katseprojekti, mis käsitleb ELi miinimumpalga muutusi aastatel 2021–2023. Lisateave on allpool jaotises „Praegune tegevus“.
Christine Aumayr-Pintar is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. Her current research topics include minimum wages, collectively agreed wages and gender...
Carlos Vacas Soriano is a research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He works on topics related to wage and income inequalities, minimum wages, low pay, job quality...
This 2024 annual review of minimum wages provides a synopsis of minimum wage setting during 2023 in the EU27 and Norway. It reports in detail on the processes and outcomes of setting the minimum wage rates for 2024 and beyond. It investigates the extent to which minimum wage earners were affected by
In this pilot project, Eurofound successfully established the feasibility of, and piloted, an EU-wide database of minimum pay rates contained in collective agreements related to low-paid workers. A conceptual and measurement framework was devised, a total of 692 collective agreements – related to 24
In the EU, non-compliance with statutory or negotiated minimum wages averages 6.93% or 1.3%, depending on the statistics used. The lowest national estimate is 0.01% in Belgium and the highest is 11.59% in Hungary.
After a long period of price stability, inflation has made a remarkable comeback in the EU. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis spurred by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the disruption of the international supply chain, among other factors, have driven up the
Miinimumpalga 2023. aasta ülevaade koostati enneolematu üleeuroopalise inflatsiooni kontekstis. Kuigi see tõi paljudes riikides kaasa nominaalpalkade märkimisväärse tõusu, ei piisanud sellest sageli, et säilitada töötajate ostujõud. Viimase kümnendi arengute põhjal näitab käesolev aruanne, et
Aruanne koostatakse kolmeaastase katseprojekti (2021–2023) „Miinimumpalga roll üldise töögarantii kehtestamisel“ raames, mille Euroopa Komisjon on delegeerinud Eurofoundile. See keskendub projekti 3. moodulile, milles uuritakse miinimumpalka ja füüsilisest isikust ettevõtjate muid palgavorme. Teatud
Pärast miinimumpalga ettevaatlikku kehtestamist 2021. aastal suurenesid nominaalmäärad 2022. aastal oluliselt, sest pandeemia negatiivsed tagajärjed leevenesid ning majandus ja tööturud paranesid. Sellega seoses suurendasid miinimumpalka 20 ELi liikmesriiki 21st, kus on seadusjärgne miinimumpalk
Aruandes on kokkuvõte sellest, kuidas 2020. aastal – mil maailmas oli COVID-19 pandeemia – kehtestati miinimumpalgad 2021. aastaks. Aruandes on ülevaade liikmesriikide otsustajate kohatud raskustest ning sellest, kuidas nad tulid toime miinimumpalgaga seotud otsuste tegemisel pandeemiast tingitud
This report, as part of an annual series on minimum wages, summarises the key developments during 2019 and early 2020 around the EU initiative on fair wages and puts the national debates on setting the rates for 2020 and beyond in this context. The report features how minimum wages were set and the
This report sets out to describe what labour market segmentation is and why it is problematic for the labour market and society, as well as disadvantaged groups. It takes a broad view of the term to examine the situation that arises when the divergence in working conditions between different groups
The adequacy of minimum wages established by the EU Minimum Wage Directive shall be assessed on two dimensions: fairness and the provision of a decent standard of living. It is up to the Member States to decide on their approaches to assessing the adequacy of minimum wage levels.
The EU Minimum Wage Directive aims to achieve a collective bargaining coverage of 80%. However, not all collective agreements regulate workers’ pay and in some cases pay rates remain outdated for too long.
While the prospects for minimum wage workers in early 2023 looked gloomy, the new year brings better news: national minimum wages were raised significantly in most countries.
Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound experts Christine Aumayr-Pintar and Carlos Vacas-Soriano about the adequacy of minimum wages in Europe as they stand at the moment, how the EU has sought to improve the situation of low-wage earners through a Directive on adequate minimum wages, and how widesprea
Minimum wages in Belgium exist at national and sectoral levels and are the outcome of collective bargaining. The national minimum wage typically lags behind sectoral minimum wages in Belgium, and policymakers have been concerned about the relative decrease in the national minimum wage compared with
On 31 August 2022, a new decree on minimum wages was published in Cyprus after a long and arduous process of negotiations and social dialogue. The ministerial decree, which came into effect on 1 January 2023, established a national minimum wage in Cyprus for the first time, a groundbreaking and cont
Italy has no minimum wage prescribed by law. Minimum wages are set through collective agreements at sectoral level, and the majority of employees in Italy are covered by a collective bargaining agreement in which wages are set. This article outlines the latest positions (2023) of the government and
Patterns and trends in social partner involvement in times of crises. 20-21 March 2023, EMCO meeting hosted by the Swedish Presidency, Stockholm. Presentation by Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras, Research Manager, Eurofound.
As the EU economy advanced its recovery following the pandemic, the high rate of inflation throughout 2022 meant that wage setting actors made their decisions under a cloud of uncertainty. While nominal increases in statutory minimum wages reached an all-time high, minimum wage workers in most count
Two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, social dialogue continues to make a significant contribution to helping economies recover. Managing the crisis led many governments to rely on tripartite social dialogue to develop the policies that would mitigate the negative impact of the
Minimum wages have risen significantly in 2022, as the EU Member States leave behind the cautious mood of the pandemic. However, rising inflation is eating up these wage increases, and only flexibility in the regular minimum wage setting processes may avoid generalised losses in purchasing power amo
While the number of employees earning the minimum wage has increased across Europe over the last decade, spurred by significant minimum wage hikes, a clear gender divide emerges, with minimum wage earners more likely to be women. Minimum wage earners are also more likely to live in materially depriv
Decision-makers approached minimum wage setting for 2021 cautiously due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Despite this, nominal statutory minimum wages rose in most Member States and the UK, although at lower rates than in recent years.
In the context of the ongoing trend of a fall in collective bargaining coverage, and recent calls at EU level to promote collective bargaining coverage as an instrument to support fair and decent wages, new data from Eurofound’s fourth European Company Survey (ECS) show that two-thirds of workers (i
Minimum wages, one of the cornerstone issues for Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission, were a hot topic in the EU at the beginning of the year. Then the COVID-19 public health crisis struck. Now, with an economic crisis and recession looming, the question is not only what impact the crisis has had on m
The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is having drastic consequences for the world of work. In most European countries workers who are not delivering essential ‘frontline’ services are being asked to stay home. Unfortunately many are out of work, while many of those who are not are minimum-wage and low
As one of their ‘100 days in office’ initiatives, the new European Commission intends to propose an initiative for an EU minimum wage. The aim is that by 2024 every worker in the EU should earn a fair and adequate wage, no matter where they live.
The Socialist-led Spanish government that emerged last summer had, by the end of 2018, approved a hike in the statutory minimum wage. This was agreed with the left-wing Podemos party as part of an attempt to secure the parliamentary support needed for passing the proposed 2019 budget – although fail
Wages grew and wage inequality fell in most EU countries in 2015. Germany is not one of the countries where wages rose most, but it did have the largest reduction of wage inequality. Our analysis shows that the German minimum wage policy introduced in 2015 strongly lifted the wages of the lowest-pai
The growth in average (nominal) pay of employees has accelerated in recent years in EU countries after a slump following the economic crisis. Similar developments show up in data on collectively agreed wages. However, higher wage growth figures do not automatically mean that all employees benefit
A carefully selected panel of agreements with reliable time series of negotiated wage rates for 2015 to 2022 was created for 20 countries with sufficient data.
Eurofound selected a sample of 692 agreements to be included with complete information (fully coded) in the database on minimum wage rates in collective agreements related to low-paid workers.