In a major policy announcement aimed at addressing longstanding worker grievances and easing cost-of-living pressures, Haiti’s Ministry of Economy and Finance has unveiled a sweeping set of economic measures, headlined by a near-46% increase to the daily minimum wage for workers in the country’s critical subcontracting sector. The announcement was made public by Minister Serge Gabriel Collin during a May 4, 2026 press conference hosted at the headquarters of Haiti’s Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES).
Prior to this adjustment, the daily minimum wage for Segment F subcontracting workers — a category that includes the country’s large textile manufacturing workforce — has remained frozen at 685 gourdes per day since 2022. Under the new ruling, that baseline will rise to 1,000 gourdes per day, a jump of just under 46%. The adjustment comes after months of advocacy from textile workers, who had originally called for a far steeper increase, pushing for a daily minimum wage set between 2,500 and 3,000 gourdes.
Minister Collin emphasized that the wage hike for subcontracting workers is only the first step in a broader, phased strategy to update minimum wage standards across all Haitian economic sectors. The government’s approach prioritizes a gradual rollout to avoid destabilizing Haiti’s fragile macroeconomic balance, he explained, balancing the urgent need to improve working people’s quality of life with the need to sustain overall economic stability.
Beyond minimum wage reform, the administration has moved to address another major pain point for domestic businesses: high energy costs. Recognizing the private sector’s central role in driving job creation and national wealth generation, Haitian officials have opened negotiations to bring down energy prices, with a specific focus on expanding access to affordable renewable energy. As a first concrete step, electricity rates for industrial operators in the Caracol Industrial Park will drop from 30 cents per kilowatt-hour to 21 cents per kilowatt-hour starting in January 2027.
To further bolster household purchasing power and strengthen the country’s social safety net, Minister Collin also announced direct targeted financial assistance for eligible workers. A total fund of 625 million gourdes will be distributed over the final five months of the 2025-2026 Haitian fiscal year, with resources earmarked for expanded social protection programs and direct support to offset rising consumer costs.