Prime Minister Gaston Browne says Antigua and Barbuda will implement another increase to the minimum wage by July 2026, with the Minimum Wage Committee already meeting to prepare its recommendations.
Browne made the announcement during the presentation of the 2026 national budget on Thursday, telling Parliament the government remains committed to lifting workers at the lower end of the income scale.
“Several weeks ago, I indicated that our government was taking steps to provide another increase in the minimum wage. We believe in lifting people,” Browne said, noting that the committee has commenced its deliberations and is expected to submit its report early in the new year. He said the government will implement the new rate “no later than July 2026,” marking what he described as the third or fourth increase in 11 years.
The Prime Minister said raising the minimum wage is part of the administration’s broader effort to ensure fairness and support rising living standards. “We’re not only taking care of those at the high end of the economic spectrum, but those at the low end as well. We want to make sure that we lift them up as well,” he said.
Browne tied the upcoming increase to broader improvements in the labor market, pointing to employment expansions in both public- and private-sector jobs and a push toward higher-paying opportunities across the economy.
Budget debate continues next week, when ministers are expected to outline sector-specific measures linked to wage policy, labor-market reforms and cost-of-living priorities.
