Telangana hikes minimum wages for workers, ranges between ₹16,000 and ₹20,000

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced that he has taken an important decision to revise the minimum wages for workers in Telangana and divided the workers into four categories and three zones in the state.

The Chief Minister said that the decision will benefit 1.11 crore workers across the state and will come into force from June 1, 2026.

Addressing the media at a press conference held along with Labor Minister G. Vivek at the State Secretariat in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 21, 2026, Vivek said that the government has divided workers into four categories: unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled. The state was also divided into three regions in determining minimum wages. Zone-1 covers Municipal Corporations, Zone-2 covers Municipalities, and Zone-3 covers rural areas.

As per the revised structure, the minimum wage for unskilled workers has been increased from ₹12,750 to ₹16,000. Wages for semi-skilled workers have been increased from ₹13,152 to ₹17,000. Skilled workers now get ₹18,500 instead of ₹13,772, while wages for highly skilled workers have been increased from ₹14,607 to ₹20,000.

Describing it as the first major decision for workers’ welfare since the formation of Telangana, the Prime Minister alleged that the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government neglected its responsibility while the current government acted responsibly to protect the interests of workers.

Recalling veteran labor leader G. Venkataswamy, the Chief Minister said that Minister Vivek Venkataswamy has carried forward his legacy by taking progressive decisions for the welfare of workers.

Opportunities in Germany, Japan and Singapore

The Prime Minister also advised the youth to move beyond the mindset of focusing only on IT jobs and opportunities in the US. He said education is meaningless without employment and livelihood opportunities.

Stressing the importance of technical skills, he noted that countries such as Germany, Japan and Singapore offered vast employment opportunities. To encourage youth in this direction, the state government has established a Skills University and encouraged them to focus on skill-based education and employment opportunities.