Azerbaijan considers hourly wage reform to raise worker pay – MP

Azerbaijan is considering introducing a minimum hourly wage system as part of a broader labor reform that could raise pay for employees working more than eight hours a day, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

According to MP Vugar Bayramov, a member of the parliamentary committee on economic policy, the proposed system would promote flexibility and transparency in the labor market and allow workers to legally hold multiple jobs, increasing their overall income.

He noted that the hourly wage model could also reduce informal employment, especially in the private sector, by encouraging employers to formalize labor contracts and pay for each hour worked.

The reform is part of a package of nearly 200 amendments to the Labor Code prepared by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. The draft is currently undergoing interagency review.