Dhaka, May 27 -- For 39 consecutive months, wage growth for the working class in Bangladesh has remained below the general inflation rate, eroding real incomes and reducing consumer purchasing power, according to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Since February 2022, inflation has consistently outpaced nominal wage increases for both skilled and unskilled labourers across sectors. In July of the current fiscal year 2024-25, the gap between inflation and wage growth reached a concerning 3.73 percentage points. That month, inflation rose to a 12-year high of 11.66 percent, while nominal wage growth stood at just 7.93 percent.

The BBS estimates average monthly wages using data from 63 occupations-comprising 17 in agricul...