At least 4.1 million minimum wage earners have benefited from the salary adjustments in 15 regions in 2023, an agency under the Department of Labor and Employment said Monday.
“A total of 15 wage orders were issued by the RTWPBs (Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards) for workers in the private sector, nine of which were initiated motu proprio,” the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) said in a social media post.
The RTWPB-National Capital Region (NCR) was the first to issue a wage hike order on June 26, which provided for a P40 pay hike.
This raised the minimum wage in Metro Manila to P610 from P570 for the non-agricultural sector and to P573 from P533 for the agriculture sector.
Meanwhile, the Northern Mindanao wage board was the latest to issue a wage hike order on Dec. 21.
The region’s minimum wage has been raised to P438 from P423 for the non-agriculture sector, and to P426 from P411 for the agriculture.
Only the Davao Region wage board has yet to issue a new wage order.
However, it has already held consultations with stakeholders such as the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Agriculture.
Public hearings are scheduled within the first quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, the NWPC added that around 8.1 million “full-time wage and salary workers” earning above minimum wage are expected to benefit from the correction of wage distortions.
Wage distortion occurs when the variations in wage structures or rates among employee groups within an enterprise are significantly eliminated or substantially diminished due to mandated wage increases.
The NWPC and the RTWPBs are attached agencies of the Department of Labor and Employment.