South African unions are demanding a 12% wage hike for government workers. Today’s chart shows historical nominal and real wage developments for the public and private sector. While average wages in the public sector grew more quickly than those in the private sector between 2015 and 2021, the trend has since reversed. Private sector wages lagged behind rising consumer prices from 2016 to late 2021, and real wage declines in the public sector began with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Compiled by Jacques Quass de Vos
