Azerbaijan’s new hourly minimum wage system will first be introduced in agricultural production and public catering, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population Zaur Aliyev has said. He made the announcement at a meeting of the Milli Majlis Committee on Labour and Social Policy.
Deputy Minister Zaur Aliyev said the draft legislation on the hourly minimum wage will cover short-term employment contracts of less than one month, as well as positions with weekly working hours of 20 hours or less. In such cases, employers will be able to pay workers on an hourly basis.
He noted that the hourly minimum wage rate will be set above the hourly rate currently derived from the existing monthly minimum wage, meaning the new system cannot leave workers worse off than under the current calculation method.
The Cabinet of Ministers will approve the specific list of sectors where the system will apply. Zaur Aliyev stressed that while only agricultural production and public catering are envisaged at the initial stage, the list could be expanded in the future.
Greater transparency planned
According to the deputy minister, the changes are aimed at making the minimum wage system more flexible, improving transparency in wage calculations, and bringing Azerbaijan’s approach in line with international practice in this field.
