ILO Director-General Gilbert F Houngbo said the deterioration in real wages would likely continue without targeted policy responses by governments.“This would increase the probability of a deeper recession, a risk that is already worsening due to the restrictive monetary policies adopted by central banks in their efforts to bring down inflation,” Houngbo said.In this time of growing social and economic uncertainties and insecurity, it is vital to rebuild and strengthen people’s sense of social justice and social cohesion.”The war in Ukraine and pandemic-related supply chain bottlenecks have pushed up food and energy costs, sending inflation in many countries to its highest level in 40 years.Several regions recorded real wage growth on paper during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, although the rise was largely driven by job losses among lower-income workers.The ILO made a number of policy recommendations to tackle falling wages, including pay increases to match rising productivity, more generous adjustments to the minimum wage and greater international cooperation on global challenges such as climate change, essential healthcare and discrimination against women and girls."