A woman in Africa wearing a green shirt and working in a green beans factory

Thematic page

The question of living wages

15 April 2024



Background

In June 2022, the 110th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) considered that to enhance policy coherence and global advocacy, the ILO must play a global leadership role on a number of issues, including “Contributing to a better understanding of living wages by undertaking peer-reviewed research on concepts and on estimations in that respect”.

The present webpage thus provides links to key ILO documents and publications related to the question of living wages. This includes the Preamble of the ILO Constitution which calls for the provision of “an adequate living wage”, the 1944 ILO Declaration of Philadelphia (also a part of the ILO Constitution) which calls for “a just share of the fruits of progress to all, and a minimum living wage to all employed and in need of such protection”, the 2022 ILO Brief “Setting adequate Wages: the question of living wages”, as well as other useful documents.

The webpages on present and past development cooperation projects – setting adequate wages and indicators and methodologies for setting adequate wages – may provide further useful information.

Key documents

Related content

Setting adequate wages: The question of living wages
Two women plucking tea leaves in tea estate India

ILO Brief

Setting adequate wages: The question of living wages

The International Labour Organization and the Living Wage: A Historical Perspective
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Conditions of Work and Employment Series No. 90

The International Labour Organization and the Living Wage: A Historical Perspective

A methodology to estimate the needs of workers and their families
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A methodology to estimate the needs of workers and their families