The expected hike in the minimum wage from ¢16,000 to ¢19,000 may have little impact on the salaries of most private sector workers. This is because most employees already earn more than the new rate while small business owners say any increase in salaries will depend on other factors such as profit margins and worker output. Asante, a 23-year-old sales assistant at an appliance sales shop in Accra’s North Industrial Area. He earns ¢570,000 monthly, or about ¢20,000 daily. That is just about ¢4000 per day more than the current minimum wage of ¢16000. But he says it is not enough. “Because we take car, we come and go, whatever we eat, where we sleep, whatever we wear, whatever we eat, comparing all this to what we are earning, it is very small. But because there is no work, we just have to take it like that. We work just to have a living.” Asante uses his salary to take care of a younger brother and pay for utilities. He and other low-wage workers say they doubt the increase in the minimum wage will put more money in their pockets. “Those earning ¢1 million, they will go up… than we who earn 500 plus, so the rich will continue to be rich, and we the poor will still be poor.” Asante and his colleagues thought the increase would more likely boost the salaries of managers and other high-wage earners, whose annual raises may match or exceed the increase in the minimum wage. But those who work for small businesses should not expect to see a windfall. Indeed, small business owners say they base their employee’s pay NOT on the minimum wage, but on other factors like employee performance and the company’s profit margin A mobile phone shop owner at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle also told Joy News that he may not be able to afford raises for his employees presently, but hoped any increases in salaries across board would in turn bring him some good tidings. That would be when the increases get people spending.