On August 17, the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Protection and the Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions agreed to raise the national minimum wage from 792,000 MNT to 1 million MNT, a decision reached at a meeting of the National Committee on Labor and Social Partnership. The new rate will take effect on January 1, 2027. 

The increase amounts to roughly 26.3 percent, with the ministry announcing the raise to 1 million MNT, or about 277 USD, starting next year. It marks the second minimum wage hike in as many review cycles under the tripartite committee, which brings together representatives of the government, trade unions and employer groups to fix minimum wage through a body comprising representatives of the government and representatives of national organizations that protect employers’ and workers’ rights.

The last adjustment came in October 2024, when the same committee convened and raised the minimum wage by 20 percent, from 660,000 MNT to 792,000 MNT, effective April 1, 2025. At the time, committee members had already floated the idea of a further increase, with a proposal made to raise the minimum wage further to around one million MNT starting in 2026, a target now being realized a year later than initially discussed.

By law, the minimum wage is fixed by the National Tripartite Committee on Labor and Social Consensus, which weighs input from government and social partners representing workers and employers, and reviews the rate on a roughly two-year cycle, taking labor conditions and cost of living into account each time.

Enforcement of the wage floor falls to the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Protection. Employers who violate minimum wage rules face fines ranging from 600,000 MNT to one million MNT per violation, with the possibility of criminal prosecution for severe or repeated breaches, and employees can claim back pay for up to three years.