Win some, lose some: The surprising post-pandemic changes in wage growth

The more educated have had slower growth but they are the highest paid in the country

Wages in India are slowly picking up from their pandemic dip but remain in single-digit territory.

 

Wages have grown at 8.7 per cent on an annualised basis since 2018-19, shows data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) based on its Consumer Pyramids Household Survey. This is lower than the 12 per cent growth in 2018-19 and 31 per cent growth seen in 2017-18, though recovery from demonetisation and associated disruptions may have played a role in the latter figure. The latest growth figure is despite a nearly 19 per cent year-on-year growth in 2024-25, the fastest in seven