Story perspectives

CEO Pay Jumps 54% as Workers Slip 12%

5/1/2026

Summary

CEOs Earn Record Pay

ITUC and Oxfam reported CEO pay rose 54% while worker wages fell 12% from 2019 to 2025.
CEO compensation reached $8.4 million in 2025 while four CEOs—including Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, who earned over $205 million—each earned more than $100 million.
The groups called for higher taxes on the ultra-rich and binding CEO-pay limits, while Democrats introduced the Living Wage for All Act to raise the minimum wage to $25 by 2031.

Summary

Billionaires Earn Dividends

Billionaire dividend payouts hit $79 billion in 2025, equal to $2,500 per second, ITUC and Oxfam say.
Bernard Arnault (LVMH) and Amancio Ortega (Inditex) received $3.8 billion and $3.7 billion in dividend income in 2025.
Larry Ellison bought a stake in Paramount, which includes CBS, via his son’s firm.
Oxfam lodged a 2024 UN complaint that Amazon and Walmart block unions, causing billionaire wealth to grow $4 trillion, putting $1.5 trillion above poorest 4.1 billion and adding 45 billionaires.

History

Historical Context

In 2014 UNDP warned that rising income gaps threatened social stability; Oxfam later reported pandemic-driven billionaire wealth rose $3.9 trillion while 500 million more people fell below $5.50 a day. The trend reflects decades-long growth in within-country inequality measured by rising Gini scores. UN Sustainable Development Goal 10 targets a reduction in inequality by 2030, underscoring policy urgency.

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CEOs Earn Record Pay

ITUC and Oxfam reported CEO pay rose 54% while worker wages fell 12% from 2019 to 2025.
CEO compensation reached $8.4 million in 2025 while four CEOs—including Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, who earned over $205 million—each earned more than $100 million.
The groups called for higher taxes on the ultra-rich and binding CEO-pay limits, while Democrats introduced the Living Wage for All Act to raise the minimum wage to $25 by 2031.

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