"The hike will not be a compulsory measure, but the government needs to accelerate working out measures to help the private sector reduce production costs such as interest rates, corporate income taxes and human resource development," said Mr Kittiratt.

In any case, he said, the government would take the lead by raising the wage for workers at state agencies and enterprises.

Mr. Kittiratt held informal talks on the issue yesterday with the joint standing committee on commerce, industry and banking. He was joined by Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala and Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap.

Nonetheless, Payungsak Chartsutthipol, the chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), reiterated hopes that the government would gradually raise the minimum wage to 300 baht over three years and not do so all at once.

"Actually, business operators want a four-year period, but I think three is appropriate to have everything in place," he said, adding that the decision on the wage hike should rest with the tripartite committee, consisting of civil servants, businesspeople and labour representatives, to better reflect the market mechanism.

Mr. Payungsak earlier had said that an immediate increase would cause the private sector to bear the burden of up to 100 billion baht in the first year on a 40-80 percent increase in costs, with low-margin, labour-intensive companies hit first.