By Own Correspondent

THE majority of employed Zimbabweans are currently earning a monthly salary of ZW$100 000 which is roughly plus or minus US$20 using the current official rate, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) latest data has revealed.

 The statistics agency Second Quarter Labour Force Survey exposes a very dire situation bedeviling the country’s workforce.

“A combined 60, 6% of paid employees earned less than ZW$100 000 during the second quarter of 2023 with just 7,8% earning between ZW$100 000 to ZW$150 000. About 4,6% earned between ZW$150 000 to ZW$200 000 per month,” the report established.

The survey further noted that 2, 6% of the country’s employees earned between ZW$250 000 and ZW$300 000.

A paltry 1, 8% earned ZW$500 000 and ZW$550 000 during the second quarter of 2023.

The salary scales for the second quarter are despite the fact that Food Poverty Line (FPL) for the month June 2023  was at $69,941.05, reflecting the minimum needs basket cost for one person, representing  an increase of 132,3% to the figure of $30,108.94

The Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) for Zimbabwe stood at $91,171.62 per person in June 2023. This means that an individual required that much to purchase both non-food and food items as at June 2023 in order not to be deemed poor.

This represented an increase of 128.3% when compared to the April 2023 figure of $39,927.46.

Despite the existence of the National Employment Councils (NEC) across the country’s economic sectors , records still show that negotiations during the period either deadlocked or approved very paltry salaries which are not life transforming.