Minimum wage growth remains real and substantial for 2026. Many EU Member States with a statutory or national minimum wage have continued to apply more structural uprates, with the aim of reaching a higher percentage value of actual (average or median) wages. The most likely driver of this is the Minimum Wage Directive and its stipulation that countries must adhere to ‘indicative reference values that guide their assessment of adequacy’. At the same time, in a few Member States, progress on reaching targets previously set has been slower. Overall, however, 2026 looks likely to be a good year for many workers on the minimum wage, as they’ll see their purchasing power grow.