Written Answer to PQ on Wage Growth and Cost of Living for Lower-Wage Workers

NOTICE PAPER NO. 528 OF 2026 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 02 MAR 2026
QUESTION NO. 1545 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Ms Elysa Chen

To ask the Minister for Manpower what the Ministry’s assessment of how real wage growth for the lowest 20th percentile of local workers compares with the increase in essential living costs over the past three years.

Answer:

From 2022 to 2025, nominal wage of full-time employed residents at the twentieth percentile rose by 13.9% cumulatively. Over the same period, headline inflation was 8.3% and core inflation, which excludes accommodation and private transport, was 7.8%. After adjusting for headline inflation, lower-wage workers at the twentieth percentile experienced real wage growth of 5.2% cumulatively from 2022 to 2025.