Southeast Asian leaders meeting at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Laos this week are urged to push businesses across the region to commit to lifting minimum wages to living wage standards, Oxfam said in a release Wednesday. According to the international non-profit organization, living wage standards are estimated to cost four times the average minimum wage now. According to Oxfam, one in every four people is poor in Southeast Asia, despite high levels of trade and foreign investment in the region. “Yet around 60 million people in the ASEAN remain hungry as countries race to the bottom, offering the lowest minimum wages possible for labourers, to attract capital,” according to Oxfam. The rate of daily minimum wage in ASEAN countries ranges from $2.74 to $10.11.

Source: Thanhnien News September 08, 2016 03:56 UTC