Everyday work across four cities

Minimum Wage Rises in January 2027: Six Countries Compared

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Czechia, Germany, South Korea and Poland have each fixed a higher minimum wage for 1 January 2027, while Ireland’s rise sits in its 2027 budget and Ukraine’s is still a government proposal. Of the confirmed rises checked for this article, the smallest is 3.0 percent in Poland. Czechia’s, at just over 11 percent, is almost four times larger.

The countries quote their rates differently: hourly in Germany, Korea and Ireland, monthly in Czechia, Poland and Ukraine. Percentage change is therefore the fairest basis for comparison, and the stage of approval matters as much as the number, since “minimum wage rises” headlines cover rates that are law, rates that are announced and rates that are only proposed. Status below is as of 25 October 2026.

Six countries by stage of approval

Country 2026 rate 2027 rate Rise Status
Czechia CZK 22,400 a month CZK 24,900 11.2% Agreed by the tripartite council on 24 August; approved by the government
Ukraine UAH 8,647 a month UAH 9,546 10.4% Proposed in the draft 2027 budget; not adopted
Ireland EUR 14.15 an hour EUR 14.94 5.6% Included in Budget 2027; final order not confirmed here
Germany EUR 13.90 an hour EUR 14.60 5.0% Fixed by government regulation
South Korea KRW 10,320 an hour KRW 10,700 3.7% Finalised by the labour ministry on 5 August
Poland PLN 4,806 a month PLN 4,950 3.0% Set by the Council of Ministers

Germany’s 5.0 percent is the second half of a two-step rise. The 2026 rate of EUR 13.90 was already 8.4 percent above the previous EUR 12.82, so the full move to EUR 14.60 comes to about 13.9 percent in total. The cabinet adopted the regulation on 29 October 2025, following the June 2025 recommendation of the Minimum Wage Commission, which includes unions and employers. Germany’s labour minister argued that two steps let firms spread the cost over two years, and the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) expects lower wage inequality but warns of negative effects for some businesses.

Where unions and employers pushed back, and where they lost

Polish unions asked for at least PLN 5,200 a month, about 8 percent above the 2026 level. The Social Dialogue Council did not agree before the legal deadline of 15 September, and the Council of Ministers kept the PLN 4,950 it had proposed earlier in the year.

In South Korea, the ministry finalised 10,700 won an hour after rejecting two sets of objections. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions wanted platform and per-job workers covered by the minimum, while the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise called the rise too steep for small business owners and plans an administrative lawsuit. No objection has been accepted since the system began in 1988.

Ireland’s case was less settled before the budget. The Irish Times reported on 28 September that the Low Pay Commission had recommended a 79 cent increase, that senior government sources said sign-off was not certain, and that one Cabinet minister saw the figure as too high. Employers argued it would damage labour-intensive sectors such as construction, although no Low Pay Commission recommendation has been rejected since the minimum wage began. Budget 2027 then included the full 79 cent rise.

Ukraine has the widest gap. The government’s draft budget sets UAH 9,546 a month, but on 30 September the Rada’s social policy committee proposed UAH 12,000, about 26 percent higher. The committee is not the lead budget committee, so its proposal goes to the Budget Committee before the full Rada votes, and neither figure is law.

What these figures leave out

The percentages say nothing about purchasing power or coverage. Germany’s Federal Statistical Office estimates that up to 6.6 million jobs could benefit from the increase, and no comparable count turned up for the other five countries. Czechia’s 2027 rate equals 44.6 percent of its average wage, against a government target of 47 percent by 2029, but a matching ratio was not retrieved for the others. The UK, Japan, France, Spain, Brazil, Mexico and other economies were not checked for this article, so it is a comparison of six countries, not a global ranking.

The Czech, German, Korean and Polish rates take effect on 1 January 2027. Ireland’s still needs the minister’s order, Korea’s micro-enterprise federation has said it will go to court, and the Rada has yet to vote on whether Ukraine’s figure stays at UAH 9,546 or moves toward UAH 12,000.

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