Minister of Economic Development, Fayyaz Ismail stated that they are waiting on a decision from the Minimum Wage Advisory Board on allocating a minimum wage.

Speaking to RaajjeMV, Minister Fayyaz stated he believes that the Minimum Wage Advisory Board would make an announcement soon.

The Employment Act was revised by the Parliament to set the minimum wage and put it in effect before the end of the year, as part of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s vows when he ran for presidency. According to the law, the minister must set a minimum wage for all employees and all businesses must abide by the standards set.

Minimum wage will be set for the fisheries sector, agriculture sector, tourism sector, construction sector, health care sector, education sector, the medium size enterprise sector, information and communication sector and the maritime shipping sector.

Previously the government had set the minimum wage to between MVR 4,000 and MVR 8,000 and after thorough discussions, the board came to a conclusion that the minimum wage should be MVR 6,400. Furthermore, they decided that civil servants and employees who work in tourism should receive a salary between MVR 6,400 and MVR 8,600.