Wage Rates

Wage rates should include basic wages, cost-of-living allowances and other guaranteed and regularly paid allowances.

The data on time rates of wages should relate to an appropriate time period such as the hour, day, week, month or other customary period used for purposes of determining the wage rates concerned.

Wage rates exclude overtime payments, bonuses and gratuities, family allowances and other social security payments made by employers. Ex gratia payments in kind, supplementary to normal wage rates, are also excluded.

Statistics of wage rates fixed by or in pursuance of laws or regulations, collective agreements or arbitral awards (which are generally minimum or standard rates) should be clearly distinguished from statistics referring to wage rates actually paid to individual workers. Each of these types of wage rates is useful for particular purposes.

Time rates of wages for normal periods of work should be distinguished from special and other rates such as piece rates, overtime rates, premium rates for work on holidays and shift rates.

Resolution concerning an integrated system of wages statistics, the 12th ICLS