The Brazilian Government decreed this Monday an increase of 7.42% in the minimum wage for 2023, with which as of January it will reach 1,302 reais (about 244 dollars).
The measure must be confirmed by law and may be reviewed by the future government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will assume the Presidency on January 1 and study offering a higher increase.
This is the first time that the government of Jair Bolsonaro raises the minimum wage above inflation, which in November accumulates a rise of 5.9% year-on-year.
The General Secretariat of the Presidency reported that it took into account an inflation calculation of 5.81% at the end of the year.
The value of the minimum wage was already contemplated in the general budget bill, which is currently is being discussed in the National Congress.
The transition team headed by Lula has announced that it is studying proposing that the minimum wage be raised to 1,320 reais (about 247 dollars), although this project is still under study.
Near to 35% of salaried workers in Brazil Some 34 million people earn the minimum wage, according to official data.
However, close to 40% of workers are in the informal sector and a good part of them earn less than a minimum wage per month.