Yunnan Province has officially announced a revision to its minimum wage standards, set to take effect on September 1, 2026. The adjustment, approved by the provincial government and issued by the Department of Human Resources and Social Security, aims to strengthen the protective role of minimum wages and support a reasonable increase in earnings for low-income workers.

The primary goal of this change is to better safeguard the basic living standards of low-income employees and their dependents, while also improving overall livelihood security and enhancing people's sense of gain and well-being. Under the new framework, the province will continue to apply differentiated standards based on the economic development levels of county-level administrative regions, which are divided into three tiers.

For the first tier, covering核心 urban districts of Kunming, including Wuhua, Panlong, Xishan, Guandu, Chenggong, and Jinning, as well as Anning City and Songming County, the monthly minimum wage will rise from 2,170 yuan to 2,270 yuan, and the hourly minimum wage will increase from 21 yuan to 22 yuan.

In the second tier, which includes other counties under Kunming's jurisdiction, Dongchuan District, county-level cities and urban districts in other prefectures, as well as Yulong County and Deqin County, the monthly minimum wage will be raised from 2,020 yuan to 2,120 yuan, while the hourly minimum wage will move from 20 yuan to 21 yuan.

For the third tier, covering all remaining counties in the province, the monthly minimum wage will go up from 1,870 yuan to 1,970 yuan, and the hourly minimum wage will increase from 19 yuan to 20 yuan.

According to the provincial minimum wage regulations, the minimum wage refers to the lowest remuneration an employer must pay a worker who has performed normal labor within statutory working hours or the time agreed in the labor contract. The wage base used to calculate the minimum wage includes social insurance premiums and housing fund contributions that employees are required to pay personally, but it excludes overtime pay, special or extra-labor-consumption allowances, non-wage welfare benefits as stipulated by laws and regulations, and any housing or meal subsidies provided by the employer in cash.

Regarding applicability, the monthly minimum wage standard applies to full-time workers, while the hourly standard is intended for part-time employees. If an employer pays wages below the minimum standard, workers are entitled to file complaints with the human resources and social security department, or seek resolution through mediation, arbitration, or litigation in accordance with the law.