India’s Salary Growth Only 0.2% in 8 Years — and the Most Unequal

India has witnessed a salary growth of only 0.2 percent since the 2008 recession, while China recorded the largest real salary growth of 10.6 percent during the same period, a report said on Thursday.

According to a new analysis by the Hay Group division of Korn Ferry, India recorded a GDP gain of 63.8 percent over the period. China, Indonesia and Mexico witnessed the largest real salary growth at 10.6 per cent, 9.3 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, some other emerging markets including Turkey, Argentina, Russia and Brazil had the worst real salary growth at (-) 34.4 percent, (-) 18.6 percent, (-) 17.1 percent and (-) 15.3 percent respectively.

“Most emerging G20 markets stood at either one end of the scale or the other either amongst the highest for wage growth, or among the lowest. However, India stood right in the middle, with all the mature markets,” the report said.

The report further noted that Indian wage growth is the most unequal. “Of the countries we looked at, Indian wage growth was by far the most unequal —people at the bottom are 30 percent worse off in real terms since the start of the recession; whilst people at the top are 30 percent better off,” Benjamin Frost, Korn Ferry Hay Group Global Product Manager said.

“Strong wage growth for senior jobs is mostly because of skill shortages for key professional and managerial roles; and the increasing connection to a more globalised pay market at the senior levels — a market where India still pays less than most countries, but is catching up fast,” Frost said.

Regarding the poorer wage growth at the bottom, the report noted that it is more because of an oversupply of people.

“India has made less progress than some other countries in bringing high value jobs to the country. This has led to poor job growth, therefore an oversupply of un/semi-skilled people, and poor wage growth,” Frost said. Globally, the United States suffered one of the worst salary recoveries among developed nations.