Recently, with approval from the People's Government of Yunnan Province, the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Yunnan Province issued a notice outlining new minimum wage standards, effective September 1, 2026. The move is designed to strengthen the protective role of minimum wages, promote reasonable growth in the wages of low-income workers, and secure the basic living standards of low-income earners and their dependents, with the broader goal of improving livelihoods and enhancing public well-being.

Under the adjusted standards, the province continues to categorize counties by economic development level into three tiers, each with specific wage floors. In Tier 1 areas, which include Wuhua, Panlong, Xishan, Guandu, Chenggong, and Jinning districts in Kunming, along with Anning City and Songming County, the monthly minimum wage will rise from 2,170 yuan to 2,270 yuan, while the hourly rate increases from 21 yuan to 22 yuan.

Tier 2 areas cover the remaining counties under Kunming, Dongchuan District, county-level cities and municipal districts under other prefectures, as well as Yulong County and Deqin County. In these regions, the monthly minimum wage is set to rise from 2,020 yuan to 2,120 yuan, and the hourly rate from 20 yuan to 21 yuan. Tier 3 areas, comprising all other counties across the province, will see the monthly minimum wage move from 1,870 yuan to 1,970 yuan, with the hourly rate climbing from 19 yuan to 20 yuan.

Under the Yunnan minimum wage regulations, the minimum wage is defined as the lowest compensation an employer must pay a worker who performs normal labor within statutory working hours or contracted working time. The wage calculation includes social insurance premiums and housing fund contributions payable by the worker, but it excludes overtime pay counted toward total wages, subsidies for special or extra labor exertion, and non-wage benefits as stipulated by laws and regulations, as well as housing and meal allowances paid in cash by the employer.

In terms of application, the monthly minimum wage standard applies to full-time workers, while the hourly standard is for part-time or non-full-time workers. If an employer pays wages below the applicable minimum wage, workers may file complaints with the human resources and social security authorities, or seek resolution through mediation, arbitration, or legal proceedings.