The question of the amount of the minimum monthly wage in 2027 is included in the agenda of the meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation, which will take place on Thursday. The report from the Ministry of Welfare states that the minimum wage should correspond to 46% of the average gross salary calculated by the Central Statistical Bureau for the last available 12 months. The average gross salary in 2025 was 1815 euros, so the minimum wage for the following year is calculated at 834.9 euros, rounded to 835 euros. This is an increase of 55 euros, or 7%, compared to this year, when the minimum wage is 780 euros. In 2024, the government planned in its medium-term plan to raise the minimum wage to 820 euros in 2027 and to 860 euros in 2028. The fiscal impact of such an increase has already been accounted for in the state budget. The Ministry of Welfare concludes that it is necessary to reach an agreement to align the planned budgetary increase in the minimum wage with the growth resulting from the established benchmark of 46%. A minimum wage of 820 euros would be 45.2% of the average salary from the previous year, while 835 euros would be 46%. According to the Bank of Latvia, the previously planned increase of the minimum wage to 820 euros would be close to the established level, while the increase proposed by the trade unions to 835 euros would exactly correspond to the proportion of 46%. With an increase in the minimum wage to 835 euros and a non-taxable minimum to the planned 570 euros for the next year, a worker without dependents would receive 702.10 euros after taxes. If the minimum wage is raised to 820 euros, the net salary would be 692.11 euros. The report also indicates that last year an average of 131,815 workers, or 17.1%, received the minimum wage or less. In the private sector, there were 97,092 such individuals, or 18.3% of workers, while in the public sector, there were 30,515, or 13.3%. In the regions, the share of minimum wage earners or lower incomes ranged from 14.9% in the vicinity of Riga to 22.4% in Latgale. The highest share of such workers, 39.1%, was in the other services sector, 31.6% in accommodation and food services, and 27.9% in real estate operations. A total of 29.9% of workers with basic or lower education received the minimum wage or less, 20.5% of workers with general secondary or vocational education, and 10% of workers with higher education. The report notes that this year the minimum wage in Latvia is the second lowest in the European Union, surpassing only Bulgaria, where it is 620 euros. In Lithuania, the minimum wage this year is 1153 euros, and in Estonia, it is 946 euros. The Ministry of Welfare notes that the Lithuanian minimum gross salary also includes employer social insurance contributions. As previously reported, the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (LBAS) proposed to raise the minimum wage in 2027 by at least 55 euros - to 835 euros per month. According to the trade unions, the minimum wage should be considered together with the non-taxable minimum and the tax allowance for dependents. LBAS also proposed to review and increase the tax allowance for dependents, emphasizing that it is a crucial support for families, especially low-income families.