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STORY: ILO / GLOBAL WAGE REPORT
TRT: 02:29
SOURCE: ILO
RESTRICTIONS: EMBARGO UNTIL 20:00 GMT 15 DECEMBER, 2016
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / SPANISH / NATS
DATELINE: 15 DECEMBER 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
15 DECEMBER 2016, GENEVA
1 Wide shot, press conference
2. Close up, report
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Greenfield, Deputy Director-General, International Labour Organization (ILO):
“These wage developments in our view are a matter of major concern because they add risks to an already weak and in fact precarious global economy. First in many countries the risk of deflation is still very real and falling wages could potentially contribute to that.”
4. Med shot, presser
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Greenfield, Deputy Director-General, International Labour Organization (ILO):
“Well designed minimum wages that are set at levels that take into account the needs of workers and their families, as well as economic factors, can make a real difference at the lower end of the distribution without significantly harming employment.”
6. Close up, hands typing next to the report
7. Close up, report covers
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrick Belser, Senior Economist, International Labour Organization (ILO):
“Another important finding is the inequality that we see within enterprises - in Europe in particular.- We’ve calculated that in the top one per cent of enterprises that pay the best the top one per cent in these enterprises earn about 840 euros per hour while the lowest paid ones earn 7 euros per hour and that’s an enormous inequality.”
FILE - 2014, GERMANY
9. Med shot, woman in head scarf working in a warehouse
10. Med shot, woman taping up boxes in warehouse
15 DECEMBER 2016, GENEVA
11. SOUNDBITE (French) Patrick Belser, Senior Economist, International Labour Organization (ILO):
“What is also a matter of concern is the situation of wage development in countries in crisis, such as Brazil and Russia. Salaries are also flat in Mexico. In Ukraine, they have fallen by 20 percent. We are also wondering who will consume the goods and services that are produced in the global economy. “
FILE – 2014, SOUTH AFRICA
12. Med shot, female workers packing avocados
FILE – 2014, HAITI
13. Various shots, workers in garment factory
FILE – 2016, SPAIN
14. Med shot, supermarket cashiers
FILE – 2014, GERMANY
15. Med shot, workers at auto parts factory
15 DECEMBER 2016, GENEVA
16. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Rosalia Vazquez-Alvarez, Ecomomist, International Labour Organization (ILO):
“The wage gap between men and women, that has been widely spoken in the population, is something we also see in women and men in high-ranked positions. Just as an example of figures, we’ll say that women in executive positions earn about fifty percent less than men. This is double the wage gap than in the population.”
FILE – 2014, SERBIA
17. Various shots, executive woman signing documents
FILE – 2014, FIJI
18. Tilt down, magazine editor woman explains layout at printers
The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) latest report on global wages says that wage growth around the world has decelerated since 2012, falling from 2.5 per cent to 1.7 per cent in 2015, its lowest level in four years.
In much of the period following the 2008-2009 financial crisis, global wage growth was propelled by relatively strong wage growth in developing countries and regions. More recently, however, this trend has slowed or reversed.
Launching the report at a press conference today (15 Dec), ILO’s Deputy Director-General Deborah Greenfield said “these wage developments in our view are a matter of major concern because they add risks to an already weak and in fact precarious global economy. First in many countries the risk of deflation is still very real and falling wages could potentially contribute to that.”
For the first time the 2016-17 report - now in its 5th edition – takes a look at wage distribution within enterprises.
She said well designed minimum wages that are set at levels that take into account the needs of workers and their families, as well as economic factors, "can make a real difference at the lower end of the distribution without significantly harming employment.”
On average, in 22 European countries, inequality within enterprises accounts for 42 per cent of total wage inequality, while the rest is due to inequality between enterprises.
The report found that in European enterprises about 80 per cent of workers are paid less than the average wages of their workplace.
In the one per cent of enterprises with the highest average wages, the bottom one per cent of workers are paid on average 7.10 euros per hour while the top one per cent are paid on average 844 euros per hour.
ILO’s senior economist Patrick Belser said “another important finding is the inequality that we see within enterprises - in Europe in particular.- We’ve calculated that in the top one per cent of enterprises that pay the best the top one per cent in these enterprises earn about 840 euros per hour while the lowest paid ones earn 7 euros per hour and that’s an enormous inequality.”
He added that another matter of concern is the situation of wage development in countries in crisis such as Brazil and Russia. He said “salaries are also flat in Mexico. In Ukraine, they have fallen by 20 percent. We are also wondering who will consume the goods and services that are produced in the global economy."
Rosalia Vazquez-Alvarez, ILO’s ecomomist noted that not everybody who was earning high salaries in companies receives them in the same way. She said “the wage gap between men and women, that has been widely spoken in the population, is something we also see in women and men in high-ranked positions. Just as an example of figures, we’ll say that women in executive positions earn about fifty percent less than men. This is double the wage gap than in the population.”
