As Pakistan prepares for the FY2026-27 federal budget, debate once again is growing around the country’s minimum wage and whether it is keeping pace with inflation and rising living costs.
To explore the issue from a different perspective, ProPakistani asked three leading artificial intelligence models what they ‘think‘ Pakistan’s minimum monthly wage should be.
The results showed a fairly consistent view. ChatGPT suggested a minimum wage of Rs. 45,000 per month, describing it as a balanced increase that could provide meaningful relief to workers while remaining manageable for businesses.
Claude Opus 4.8 recommended Rs. 48,000 per month, arguing that a slightly higher figure would better support living standards and economic stability.
Google Gemini 3.1 Pro proposed the highest amount at Rs. 50,000 per month, arguing that there is a need to improve quality of life and help households cope with rising expenses.
Historically, minimum wage revisions have often struggled to keep pace with inflation, leaving policymakers to balance the need for worker protection against concerns about business costs and employment.
While the three AI models arrived at different figures and do not make the policy decisions, all pointed toward a similar conclusion that wage levels may need to rise further if incomes are to better reflect current living expenses.
