Preface -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Part I Major trends in wages -- 1 Growth of average wages -- 1.1 Global estimates -- 1.2 Regional estimates -- 1.3 Average wages and productivity -- 2 The wage share -- 2.1 Recent trends in national wage shares -- 2.2 Trends at the sectoral level -- 3 Wage inequality and low pay -- 3.1 Recent trends: Increasing incidence of low pay -- 3.2 Characteristics of low-paid workers -- Part II Wages policies in times of crisis -- 4 The role of wage policies -- 4.1 Social justice and equity -- 4.2 The macroeconomic effects of wages -- 4.3 Market imperfections -- 4.4 Vulnerable workers: Low-wage jobs -- 5 Wage policies -- 5.1 Collective bargaining -- Collective bargaining and average wages -- Collective bargaining and low pay -- The challenge of inclusive systems -- 5.2 Minimum wages -- Recent trends -- Can minimum wages reduce low pay? -- 5.3 From minimum wages to minimum income for low-income households -- Policies to weaken the linkage between low pay and poverty -- What policies? Scope and potential -- Part III Summary and conclusions -- 6 Main findings and policy implications -- 7 Emerging issues and the way forward -- Appendices -- Technical appendix I Global wage trends: Methodological issues -- Technical appendix II Definition and measurement of the wage share and shift-share analysis -- Statistical appendix -- Bibliography -- Background papers -- References -- Tables -- 1. Cumulative wage growth, by region since 1999 (1999 = 100) -- 2. The wage share in OECD countries for the real economy -- 3. Selected list of low-wage studies and their methodologies -- 4. Different reasons why women are more vulnerable to low wages: Arguments and implications from a literature review -- 5. Minimum wages during the crisis.

6. Minimum wages and inflation in selected countries in Latin America (in percentages) -- 7. Recent developments in minimum wage policies in selected countries -- 8. Poverty rates by pay and employment in China, 2002-07 (in per cent) -- 9. In-work benefits programmes in selected industrialized countries -- 10. Examples of cash transfer policies in selected countries -- B1. Sources of employment-related income data in Africa -- B2. Variables increasing the risk of low pay in selected developing countries -- B3. Domestic workers as a percentage of total employment by sex -- Figures -- 1. The global recession and recovery, 1995-2010 (year-on-year changes in GDP at constant prices, in per cent) -- 2. Global wage growth, 2006-09 (year-on-year changes, real terms, in per cent) -- 3. Wage growth in the G20, 2006-09 (year-on-year changes, real terms, in per cent) -- 4. Nominal wage growth and inflation in four selected countries, 2006-09 (in per cent) -- 5. Regional wage growth, 2000-09 (in per cent p.a.) -- 6. Index of nominal and real average weekly earnings in the United States (all non-farm employees), March 2006 to March 2010 (March 2006 = 100) -- 7. Wage growth in selected advanced countries, 2007-09 (in per cent) -- 8. Weekly hours worked or paid in selected advanced countries, 2007-09 (changes in annual averages) -- 9. Wage growth in selected countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 2007-09 (in per cent) -- 10. Wage growth in selected countries in Asia, 2007-09 (in per cent) -- 11. Wage growth in selected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2007-09 (in per cent) -- 12. Wage growth in selected countries and territories in Africa and the Middle East, 2007-09 (in per cent) -- 13. Regional growth in GDP, employment and labour productivity, 2000-09 (in per cent).

14. Wages and productivity during the crisis, 2008-09 (in per cent) -- 15. Explaining changes in the wage share: A "shift-share" analysis (in percentage points) -- 16. Changes in wage shares in the manufacturing sector (in percentage points) -- 17. Changes in wage shares in the construction sector (in percentage points) -- 18. Changes in wage shares in financial intermediation, real estate, renting and other business activities (in percentage points) -- 19. Changes in wage inequality (selected countries), 1995-2000 and 2007-09 -- 20. Changes in low-wage employment in selected countries, 1995-2000 and 2007-09 (in percentage points) -- 21. Low-wage employment: A global comparison, latest available year (in per cent) -- 22. Output per worker (productivity) and low-wage employmentin 34 countries, latest available year -- 23. Incidence of low-wage employment by major demographic characteristics,selected countries, various years (in per cent) -- 24. Female share of low-wage employment in selected countries, latest year (percentage of total low-wage employment) -- 25. Comparison of low-pay incidence and the average gender pay gap, 17 OECD countries, 2007 (in per cent) -- 26. Predicted transition rates from low-wage jobs to higher wage jobsand non-employment in selected countries (in per cent) -- 27. Incidence of low-wage employment and mobility in European countries -- 28. Sound wage policies make a difference: An illustration -- 29. The average incidence of low pay by trade union density in 33 countries, 2009 or latest year (in percent) -- 30. Union membership by pay level in four selected countries (as percentage of workers) -- 31. Minimum wages and the incidence of low pay in selected countries -- 32. Cross-country comparison: Minimum wages and the incidence of low-wage employment in 27 countries -- Boxes.

1. Wages in the public and the private sectors -- 2. Wage growth in Africa -- 3. The determinants of the wage share in total income -- 4. Determinants of low-pay incidence: The statistical results of a logit model in selected countries -- 5. The perverse effects of declining wages -- 6. Germany: Bargaining over short-time work -- 7. Collective bargaining for domestic workers: Is it possible? -- 8. Reintroduction of wage councils in Uruguay -- 9. Do minimum wages hurt employment? -- 10. The minimum wage debate in India -- Technical appendix I tables -- A1. Regional groups -- A2. Coverage of the Global Wage Database (in per cent) -- A3. Coverage of the Global Wage Database, 2006-09 (in per cent) -- Technical appendix II figure -- Figure A4 Germany: Wage share adjustments, 1980-2009 (ratio) -- Statistical appendix tables -- SA1. Average wages -- SA2. Minimum wages -- SA3. Inequality.