Minister of Labour, Skills and Innovation Joel Chigona says government is committed to improving workers’ welfare and is consulting stakeholders on minimum wage adjustments as the cost of living continues to outstrip earnings.
Emploloyers Consultative Association data puts the monthly cost of living for a household of six at K1.149 million, more than nine times the national minimum monthly wage of K126 000, which came into effect on June 1 this year.
Speaking in Mangochi yesterday during the Institute of People Management Malawi (IPMM) 2026 Annual Lakeshore Conference, Chigona said minimum wage adjustments requires consultations with workers and employers.
He said: “To push the minimum wage takes a lot of stakeholders’ confirmation.
“We have to talk to the workers, we have to talk to the employers. Whenever we reach the agreement, it means that it has gone through all the stages.”
In its latest Cost of Living Analysis, Ecam said the household budget, including transport, increased by 3.18 percent while the cost of basic needs excluding transport rose by 1.58 percent to K989 868.
Malawi Congress of Trade Unions had pushed for a 100 percent increase in the minimum wage amid mounting pressure to align workers’ earnings with living costs.
Meanwhile, IPMM president Frank Sabola said the institute is pushing for enactment Human Resource Management Bill to regulate the profession, improve standards and strengthen ethical practice.
He said IPMM is working with the Department of Human Resources Management and Development and the Ministry of Justice to facilitate the bill’s enactment, saying it contribute to national productivity and human capital development.
