Minimum Wage Erosion — How Many Grams of Gold?
Shows how the net minimum wage’s purchasing power in grams of gold and dollars eroded from 2015 to today. As raises arrive the lira amount rises, but how many units it buys against gold/dollar usually falls.
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The tool divides the net minimum wage in force each period by that period’s gram gold (or dollar) price. The result: how many grams of gold or dollars the minimum wage is worth — real purchasing power.
If the chart falls, purchasing power in gold/dollar terms is eroding despite the lira raise. The peak, today’s value and the decline from peak are summarized at the top.
Why measure in grams of gold?
Under high inflation the lira amount keeps rising and that rise is deceptive. Converting the minimum wage into a store-of-value unit like gram gold or the dollar reveals real purchasing power. The grams of gold a wage bought in 2015 are directly comparable to today.
What do peak and erosion tell us?
The peak is when the minimum wage reached its highest purchasing power in gold/dollar terms. The decline from peak gives, as a percentage, the purchasing power lost since then. The gap widens when raises lag inflation and currency depreciation.
How to read it
Look at the trend, not a single year. The January raise usually lifts purchasing power briefly, then inflation erodes it. The tool is informational and based on the official wage table and CBRT prices.