Minimum salary for first time in Azerbaijan exceeds subsistence minimum - minister

In Azerbaijan, through raising the minimum salary to 250 manats by order of President Ilham Aliyev dated June 18, 2019, the minimum salary exceeded the subsistence minimum for the first time, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev told Trend June 24.

The minister reminded that the current subsistence minimum is 180 manats, and starting from September 1, the minimum salary will exceed the subsistence minimum by almost 40 percent.

At the same time, as a new legislative initiative by President Ilham Aliyev, the minimum pension will rise from 160 manats to 200 manats from October 1, thereby the minimum pension will exceed the subsistence minimum of pensioners up to 34.2 percent (149 manats), the minister said.

He stressed that the increase in the minimum salary will cover 950,000 people, and the growth of salaries in various spheres of the public sector – 400,000 people.

Babayev noted that the social package provided this month has allowed a serious increase in salaries of 1.35 million people, pensions of over 750,000 pensioners, and a total of salaries and pensions of 2.1 million people.

Babayev added that the additional financial burden of the state on this increase amounted to 2 billion manats.