Indian Middle Class Salary Crisis! Middle Class People are silently suffering

In Bengaluru, a LinkedIn post by Ashish Singhal, the co-founder and CEO of PeepalCo, has started an important conversation about how India’s middle class is quietly suffering.

In his post, Mr. Singhal said that while prices of goods and services are rising fast, salaries for the middle class have not increased much. This has caused a lot of financial stress for this group. However, unlike the rich or the poor, the middle class receives no special help—no financial support from the government, no media attention, and almost no public discussion.

He wrote, “The biggest scam no one talks about? Middle-class salaries.” He explained that this group is going through a silent economic crisis.

What the CEO Highlighted:

Mr. Singhal shared these points based on data from the last 10 years:

• People earning less than Rs 5 lakh per year saw their income grow by just 4% per year (CAGR – Compound Annual Growth Rate).
• People earning between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1 crore per year saw only 0.4% growth per year.
• Food prices increased by almost 80%.
• The buying power of money has decreased by nearly half.
• Spending has increased—but it is being managed through credit (loans and EMIs).

He added, “This is not a collapse, but a slow decline that looks normal. People are still flying once a year, buying new phones, and paying EMIs, but the pressure is building underneath.”

Threats and Inequality

The CEO also warned that new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) are putting white-collar jobs (office jobs) at risk, while the super-rich are becoming richer very fast. He said the poor are getting some support from the government, and the rich are growing their wealth—but the middle class is left to suffer quietly.

“No one talks about their problems. They face rising prices, loan EMIs, and stress, but are expected to manage everything without complaints,” he wrote.

He ended his post by saying that we must start discussing the problems of the middle class—not as a group that only votes or spends money, but as the real engine of the economy that is slowly getting pushed out of it.

Finally, he asked his followers, “Is this just a problem of low income, or is it also a problem of how people manage their money?”

Reactions from People

Many people responded to his post and shared their thoughts:

• One person agreed and said that the middle class is being squeezed from both sides—they earn little and spend a lot. But they also blamed the middle class for staying silent and continuing with their routine jobs, home loans, and car loans, hoping things will improve.
• Another user commented that the middle class doesn’t question anything and just follows what others tell them, which has weakened their ability to speak up.
• A third user said the post was very relatable. They pointed out that in many middle-class families, even if more than one person is earning, they still struggle to save money. They felt that there should be a system to help the middle class move upward in life and better handle inflation.
• However, not everyone agreed. One user said that complaining online won’t help. They felt that nothing will change in India and those who can afford to, simply leave the country. They also added that depending only on salary will not make anyone rich, anywhere in the world.
• Another user questioned the CEO directly, asking, “What salary hikes did you give your employees compared to yours?” They hinted that CEOs should also look at what they are doing to help their own staff.

This post has led to a larger conversation about the financial pain being silently suffered by India’s middle class. Many feel that it’s time this group is given more attention and support.