Hourly Wage

A compensation scheme that pays an employee a set amount for each hour worked.

Hourly pay suits work measured in time rather than in output, which is why counter, service, and shift-based roles use it. The legal minimum wage sets a floor, and competition for skilled people regularly pushes the posted rate above it.

Often confused with

Annual Salary
An hourly wage pays for time actually worked and rises with hours; a salary is a fixed yearly amount that does not move with the week's hours.

Taught in

See also

4.1.D.2 · 4.1.D.3