Low real wages, more expensive food

May 7, 2025

The 2.4% April inflation rate in the NCR was higher than the tamer 1.4% inflation recorded for all households in the country. On the whole, prices remained high, while unchanged measly nominal minimum wages are still not keeping up.

Low real wages, more expensive food, as of February 2025

March 6, 2025

Low real wages, more expensive food, as of January 2025

February 6, 2025

Low real wages, more expensive food (as of August 2024)

September 6, 2024

Falling real wages, more expensive food (as of July 2023)

August 8, 2023

The inflation rate being lower in July 2023 means prices went up slower for some commodities. From July 2022-2023 the price of rice, several vegetables and fishes became costlier, still hurting the pockets of poor, lower-income and middle class families.

NCR family living wage as of April 2023

May 9, 2023

Despite declining in April, the 6.6% headline inflation continues to eat away the unchanged minimum wage. Short-term solutions like removing consumption taxes and mandating wage hikes are urgently needed.

Falling wages, more expensive food (February 2023)

March 10, 2023

A decrease in inflation doesn’t mean that prices are going down — only that prices aren’t going up as fast as before. Even if inflation declined slightly in February to 8.6%, the real value of the NCR minimum wage keeps falling as the price of food and other basic goods and services keeps going up.

NCR family living wage as of February 2023

March 10, 2023

The tiny decline of headline inflation to 8.6% in February 2023 is statistically insignificant and the highest inflation in 14 years is still eating away at the unchanged minimum wage. It’s even worse for the poorest 30% of the population who are battling 9.7% inflation which is the same as in January and the highest […]

NCR family living wage as of January 2023

February 7, 2023

Filipinos entered the new year poorly positioned to cope with even higher prices and inflation. The gap between workers’ wages and the estimated family living wage continues to widen.