The article is an attempt to show the importance of the minimum wage in the economy and TSL branch. In this article authors made an effort to describe the trends in the minimum wage in the European Union and selected countries around the world. The article contains research results covering the development of the minimum wage in relation to the Gross Domestic Product of the Republic of Poland. The analyses carried out in the study indicate that although the minimum wage is much lower in Poland than in the countries of the so-called old Union, it is relatively high compared to the new EU member states. This situation is the result of a strong increase in the minimum wage in Poland in the recent period.