The government predicts that the minimum wage will rise to R$ 1,294 in 2023, an increase of 6.7% compared to 2022. If the value is confirmed, this will be the fourth year in a row without a real increase.
The numbers are in the (PLDO) Bill of Budget Guidelines, sent this Thursday (14) to Congress.
The percentage represents the official estimate for the INPC (National Consumer Price Index), aimed at the inflation felt by Brazilians with lower incomes. The index is calculated by the government at 6.7% for 2022.
“For the purposes of projecting expenses, only the legal framework currently in force is being considered, such as, for example, the constitutional precept of maintaining the purchasing power of the minimum wage”, states the text of the PLDO.
Despite the forecast, the government has until December to define what the minimum wage will actually be applied for 2023. Last year, the definition was made through an MP (Provisional Measure) on December 31.
Until 2019, the rule for the minimum wage provided for the correction for the inflation of the previous year plus the real increase in GDP of two years before (if the latter is positive) – which, for most of the period, provided real readjustments to workers. The rule was instituted in 2011, under Dilma Rousseff (PT).
As of 2020, during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), there was only an increase in the minimum wage by the INPC (National Consumer Price Index). This means that, since then, the minimum wage has not seen any real gains.
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