International Monetary Fund

IMF calls for minimum wage rise in Samoa

It said Samoa has the lowest minimum wage in the Pacific at 86 US cents an hour.

The IMF said this should increase to at least 3 tala per hour - or about $US1.13.

It said doing so could help more people cope with the high cost of living in Samoa.     

IMF downgrades forecast for world, emerging market economies

In a report Tuesday in advance of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings here this week, the fund says the world economy will grow 3.1 percent this year, down from a July forecast of 3.3 percent and from 3.4 percent growth last year.

"The risks seem more tilted to the downside than they did just a few months ago," IMF chief economist Maurice Obstfeld, told reporters.

Still, Obstfeld downplayed the risk of a global recession.