New option on the table for minimum wage: What is the latest on the raise scenarios?

Millions of employees are waiting with great curiosity for the raise rates for the minimum wage that will be valid in 2025.

The Minimum Wage Determination Commission will hold its first meeting on December 10. The commission will meet a total of four times throughout December to decide on the new minimum wage.

The 15-person team, consisting of representatives from workers, employers, and the government, aims to balance the targeted and realized inflation rates while determining the raise rate.

The emphasis on "balance" coming from the AKP is interpreted as the government's plan to take the average of the 21 percent inflation target for this year and the 44 percent realized inflation expectation set by the Central Bank.

If the December inflation rate comes in at 2 percent, 2.5 percent, or 3 percent, it is calculated that year-end inflation will reach 45.70 percent, 46.40 percent, and 47.20 percent, respectively.

This suggests that when the average of 21 percent and the realized inflation is taken, the raise rate could vary between 33.35 percent and 34.1 percent, and the figure could be rounded up to the 35 percent level.

In the event of a 35 percent raise, the new minimum wage is expected to be 22,952 TL.

While worker representatives in the commission are demanding a higher increase by taking living conditions into account, employers want a balanced solution to be found. With only a few days left until the critical meetings, the eyes of both employees and employers are on the decision that will emerge from the commission.