Living wage gap narrows in garment hubs but progress stalls at the bottom
6 May 2026 6 min read
New wage ladder data shows median garment wages closing on living wage benchmarks in Vietnam and Indonesia, while Bangladesh and Myanmar fall further behind.
The latest industry wage ladder analysis shows the gap between prevailing and living wages narrowing to 12% in Vietnam's export sector, driven by minimum wage increases and buyer commitments to ring-fenced labour costing.
Researchers warn of a two-track industry: wages in Bangladesh and Myanmar remain more than 40% below living wage benchmarks, keeping workers vulnerable to the debt that underpins forced labour.
