Chief executives hauled in 54% more compensation between 2019 and 2025 while ordinary workers saw their real wages crater 12% over the same period, according to a sweeping analysis released by Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation.
The math is brutal. That wage decline for workers amounts to 108 days of unpaid labor. Meanwhile, the average CEO pulled in $8.4 million in total compensation last year, up from $7.6 million in 2024.
The disparity is most stark in America. U.S. CEOs earned 20.4 times faster pay growth than workers in 2025, outpacing even the grim global average. At S&P 500 companies where data was available, CEO compensation jumped 25% year-over-year, while average hourly worker pay rose just 1.3%.
The wealth concentration extends far beyond the executive suite. Billionaires collected $2,500 every second in dividends throughout 2025, the analysis found. Over every two-hour stretch, the typical billionaire raked in more in dividend payments than the average worker earns in an entire year.
That staggering extraction of wealth has only accelerated. Billionaire fortunes hit record highs in 2026, with the world's wealthiest collectively gaining $4 trillion over the past year, a 13.2% jump from 2025.
Four mega-corporations paid their CEOs more than $100 million individually in 2025: Blackstone, Broadcom, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. The top 10 highest-paid executives earned over $1 billion combined.
Gender inequality compounds the problem. Among the top 1,500 corporations tracked across 33 countries, women face a 16% pay gap. The analysis notes that women at these companies essentially work for free after November 4 every year once the gap is calculated.
Luc Triangle, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, cast the findings as evidence of a deliberate power grab. "Companies promise us a virtuous cycle, but what we see is a vicious cycle led by mega corporations," he said. "They undermine collective bargaining and social dialogue while billionaire CEOs capture the wealth created by productivity gains."
Oxfam International executive director Amitabh Behar called for governments to act decisively. "We can't continue to let a handful of super-rich people siphon off the rewards of work that belong to millions," he said. "Governments must cap CEO pay, fairly tax the super-rich and ensure minimum wages at the very least keep pace with inflation and ensure a dignified living."
Author James Rodriguez: "These numbers are damning evidence that the system is working exactly as designed for those at the very top, leaving everyone else behind."
Comments