Philippines to raise private workers’ minimum wage in capital

Manila: The Philippines will raise the minimum wage of private sector workers in the capital region starting July 16, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The Southeast Asian nation’s wage body backed a regional board order for a 40-peso ($0.72) increase in daily minimum pay, the department said in a statement. The hike will directly benefit 1.1 million minimum wage earners, it added.

The Philippine central bank said minimum wage adjustments were among the upside risks to inflation outlook when it decided to keep the policy rate last week.