Minimum Wage Disparities Across CARICOM Nations
SOURCE: CARISTATS- Minimum wage levels across CARICOM reveal significant disparities in worker compensation standards throughout the region. According to 2024 ILO Statistics, monthly minimum wages range from over $1,000 to under $200 when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).
The figures are presented in PPP dollars, which adjust for differences in the cost of living between countries, providing a more accurate comparison of what these wages can actually buy in each nation. This means the numbers reflect the real purchasing power of minimum wage workers rather than simple currency conversions.
The Bahamas leads the region with a monthly minimum wage of $1,017 PPP, closely followed by Dominica at $1,001. Trinidad and Tobago rounds out the top three at $909. These higher-wage nations contrast sharply with countries at the lower end of the spectrum, where Suriname ($283) and Haiti ($167) set minimum wages well below regional averages.
Several Eastern Caribbean states show relatively strong performance, with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ($766), Saint Kitts and Nevis ($740), Grenada ($705), and Antigua and Barbuda ($702) all maintaining wages above $700. Jamaica, despite its larger economy, falls in the middle range at $670, while Guyana registers $624 and Barbados $542.
These disparities mean that a minimum wage worker in The Bahamas has over six times the purchasing power of their counterpart in Haiti, illustrating how national economic policies and conditions significantly affect workers’ economic realities.
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Who really just come up with dem kinda nonsense, figures never really impress me much, when I go to the supermarkets with the peanut change and see the few lickkle sudden me can buy ah so me judge tings
I am no genius, but it is clear the headline is misleading. Antigua is in the bottom half of the 12 countries listed.
Minimum monthly wages in the Caribbean vary by island and often depend on the number of working hours per week. For example, Antigua and Barbuda has a minimum hourly wage of $3.33, which translates to roughly $640 per month based on a 48-hour workweek. In Barbados, the hourly minimum wage is $5.25, resulting in a monthly minimum of approximately $1008 based on a 48-hour workweek. In St. Lucia, the hourly minimum wage is $3.17, leading to a monthly minimum of about $608 based on a 48-hour workweek.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown for some islands:
Antigua and Barbuda: $3.33 per hour, or about $640 per month (based on a 48-hour week).
Barbados: $5.25 per hour, or about $1008 per month (based on a 48-hour week).
The Bahamas: $5.25 per hour, or about $1008 per month (based on a 48-hour week).
St. Lucia: $3.17 per hour, or about $608 per month (based on a 48-hour week).
Belize: BZ$5.00 per hour, which is approximately US$2.48.
Dominica: EC$4.00 per hour, according to Playroll.
Grenada: Domestic workers in Grenada earn a minimum of EC$1,200.00 per month.
Jamaica: The minimum wage is approximately $363.16 USD per month.
Trinidad and Tobago: The average monthly salary is between $1,500 and $1,700 USD.
Barbados: Shop assistants earn BBD 6.25 per hour, or approximately BBD 1,126.36 per month (based on a 40-hour week).