Belize Minimum Wage to Rise From $5 to $6 an Hour

While the country’s productive sectors continue to expand, the Prime Minister acknowledged that many households are still feeling the pressure of higher prices. That led to one of the address’s major announcements.  Belize’s minimum wage is expected to increase from five dollars to six dollars per hour. Prime Minister John Briceño announced that the twenty-percent adjustment will be introduced in the near future, although he did not provide a specific implementation date.  The increase is expected to benefit almost fifty thousand wage earners.  He outlined several additional measures intended to ease the cost of living.

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “And almost 10,000 wage earners whose minimum wage and pay was raised to $5 per hour just recently can look forward to another 20% adjustment to $6 per hour in the near future. One last example of the dramatic steps we have taken to ease the cost of living pressures. All public sector employees, including our teachers, the police and Coast Guard officers, our soldiers and public servants. Almost 16,000 professionals will have received by the close of this fiscal year a salary adjustment of eight percent. The total value of this salary increase is historic. It is $112 million per year. These steps provide hard proof that government is in touch with the cost of living challenges and is responding decisively.”