Which country has the highest minimum wage? 5 economic stories to read this week

Minimum wages are a way of stopping the exploitation of workers and helping lower-income families, however, 10% of countries globally do not have a minimum wage, according to the International Labour Organization.

In the OECD, Luxembourg ranks the highest for minimum wages, with an hourly minimum of 15.66 euros ($15.87) for skilled workers over 18.

Explore the differences in minimum wages across the OECD.

The Ukraine conflict, the effects of the pandemic and recent droughts and heatwaves have places enormous strain on supplies of food, energy and other essentials. With the rising cost of living pushing millions into poverty, the UN has called for a moratorium on debt repayments so that governments can subsidize food and energy to help citizens.

From debt relief programmes to tax rebates, find out how governments can help lift citizens out of poverty.

Many countries rely - or used to rely - on Russian energy imports and Germany is no exception. In 2021, Russia accounted for 55% of Germany's gas imports, this had fallen to 26% by June of this year. The nation has committed to replacing all Russian energy imports by as soon as mid-2024.

So how will this be done? From rapidly importing LNG from elsewhere to extending the lifespan of the nation's three remaining nuclear plants, Germany is taking big steps to end its reliance on Russian energy.

Learn more about Germany's plan to tackle the energy crisis.

China's factories have been closed a number of times since the start of the pandemic due to lockdowns, but more recently climate change has been the culprit. There have been intense heatwaves and drought across China's south, around the Yangtze river basin.

As a result, water levels behind dams are being depleted, halting electricity generation at hydropower plants. In Sichuan province, around 80% of their energy needs come from hydropower, meaning they have been forced to order factories to stop operations once again.

The effects of these factory closures will ripple through supply chains. Read more to find out the wider impact.

It might come as no surprise that Gen Z turns to social media for financial advice. Data suggests this generation is almost five times more likely to get financial advice from social media platforms than people aged 41 or over.

'Finfluencers' are a growing trend. Tim Tkachenko, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder, Qure.Finance, explains that Gen Z shows a lack of trust in old-school financial institutions.

Discover how else Gen Z is different when it comes to taking financial advice.