A new Oxfam and ITUC analysis reveals CEO pay grew 20 times faster than worker wages in 2025, with real global worker pay falling 12% since 2019 while billionaire wealth hit record highs.
A stark new analysis from Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation has exposed a widening global pay gap, revealing that CEO compensation rose 20 times faster than worker pay in 2025, while real wages for ordinary workers fell sharply.
When adjusted for inflation, global worker pay declined 12% between 2019 and 2025 — the equivalent of 108 days of unpaid work. Meanwhile, CEO pay surged 54% over the same period, with the average CEO earning $8.4m in 2025.
Luc Triangle of the ITUC warned: “Companies promise us a virtuous cycle, but what we see is a vicious cycle led by mega corporations — they undermine collective bargaining and social dialogue while billionaire CEOs capture the wealth created by productivity gains.”
Oxfam’s Amitabh Behar called for urgent reform: “We can’t continue to let a handful of super-rich people siphon off the rewards of work that belong to millions.”