Egypt's finance ministry said on Monday it had begun implementing a 708 Egyptian pound ($119) per month minimum wage for current government employees, up from the 444 pounds paid under last year's budget.

Employees hired after July 1 will receive a minimum of 684 pounds a month, up from the previous 422.40 pounds. The maximum wage of any employee will be 36 times the minimum, it said.

The ministry had budgeted an initial 9 billion pounds to increase wages, it said in an emailed statement. - Reuters