Research brief

COVID-19 and rising wage inequality: Trends and challenges in Thailand and Viet Nam

This brief presents quantitative trends in wage inequality in Thailand and Viet Nam during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. Based on various measures, it highlights the rise of inequality as wages have been increasingly concentrated among the highest wage earners and the disproportionate impact of lower wages on informal workers, youth and workers with lower educational qualifications. It presents a number of policy measures including enhanced wage support and active labour market policies to counter these dynamics.