Minimum wage goes maximum

March 25, 2022

Iran has increased the minimum wage for workers by 57.4 percent in a major decision by the new Raisi Administration to help some of the poorest people in the country.  The boost is almost 30 percentage points more than inflation in the past year and restores the long eroding minimum wage.

Announced March 10, the minimum wage will rise at Now Ruz from the current 25.55 million rials per month to 41.79 million rials, or about $160 at the open market rate of exchange of 260,000 rials per dollar.

While that is a huge increase, Iran International calculated that it was still well below the record high—in dollar terms of $275 in 2010.

Furthermore, labor groups say that the poverty line in Iran is now about $400 a month for a family of 3.3 people, so the new minimum wage will still be less than half what the poor need to survive.

The minimum wage is set annually by the Labor Ministry after talks among representatives of the government, business community and labor.  The minimum wage applies to all workers covered by Iran’s Social Security Law.