The Karnataka government on Saturday announced a major increase in minimum wages for workers across the state, raising wages by nearly 60 per cent under a revised pay structure that is expected to benefit lakhs of labourers and employees across multiple sectors.
Under the new wage framework, labourers in Bengaluru will now receive a minimum monthly salary of Rs 23,376, marking one of the most significant wage revisions introduced by the state government in recent years.
The announcement was made by Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad, who described the move as a major labour reform aimed at improving financial security and fulfilling a long-standing demand raised by workers’ organisations and labour communities across the state.
According to the revised structure, skilled workers in Bengaluru will now be entitled to a minimum monthly wage of Rs 31,114.
For workers in other regions of Karnataka, minimum wages will range between Rs 19,300 and Rs 21,251 depending on the geographical location, type of work, and category of employment.
Santosh Lad stated that the wage revision had been implemented in accordance with guidelines and principles laid down by the Supreme Court of India regarding the determination of minimum wages.
Calling the move a historic step for labour welfare, Lad said the government had finally addressed a demand that had remained pending for years.
“Our government has issued a notification increasing the minimum wages of workers by 60 per cent. Through this, our government has fulfilled a long-pending demand of the labouring community in the state,” Lad stated in a post on X.
According to the Labour Minister, the revised wage system is expected to significantly strengthen economic security for workers employed in the unorganised sector as well as employees working in various officially notified sectors across Karnataka.
He further explained that the revised structure would help bring a large number of workers under a more standardised and streamlined wage framework.
The minister also announced a major structural change in Karnataka’s wage classification system.
According to Lad, the state government has abolished the earlier four-zone classification model that had previously determined minimum wages based on regional divisions.
Instead, the government has now introduced a unified wage notification covering all scheduled employments across the state for the first time.
Officials said the revised wage structure is expected to directly benefit workers employed across 81 scheduled occupations in Karnataka.
“This notification will provide economic security to workers in the unorganised sector and other specified sectors across the state,” Lad said.
“While determining the minimum wages, directions of the Supreme Court bench have been followed in carrying out this revision,” he added.
The Labour Minister also thanked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, cabinet colleagues, labour experts, and officials for supporting the proposal put forward by the Labour Department.
The wage hike is being viewed as a significant political and economic move by the Karnataka government, particularly at a time when rising inflation, cost-of-living pressures, and demands for improved labour welfare have become major public concerns.
Labour organisations are expected to welcome the decision, especially because workers in the unorganised sector have long argued that earlier wage levels were insufficient to meet increasing household and living expenses, particularly in urban centres such as Bengaluru.
The revised notification is also likely to have broader implications for industries, employers, contractors, and businesses operating in Karnataka, as companies may now need to adjust salary structures and labour costs in line with the updated minimum wage framework.
The Karnataka government’s move is being seen as one of the most substantial labour-focused policy interventions introduced by any state government in recent years, with the administration positioning it as part of a broader effort to improve worker welfare and strengthen social protection mechanisms for labourers across the state.
