Overview
- Oxfam’s analysis, released Friday for May Day, finds CEO pay up 54% to about $8.4 million and worker real wages down 12% since 2019.
- The study draws on CEO pay disclosures for 1,500 leading firms in 33 countries and labor data from the ILO and IMF.
- In Germany, pay for 25 examined DAX chiefs rose about 56% to nearly €7 million, while typical pay remains slightly below pre‑pandemic levels.
- The group reports billionaire wealth grew by roughly $4 trillion over the past year to about $20 trillion.
- Oxfam calls for a global billionaire tax, higher top income rates, and a €15 minimum wage as Berlin weighs a 2027 tax overhaul and Chancellor Friedrich Merz signals openness to a higher surcharge on top earners.