This page shows the current applicable minimum wage for workers engaged in Loading, Unloading and Hamali in Karnataka. Whether you run a market yard, godown, or transport depot, or you carry and stack goods for a living, the rate below is the statutory wage floor notified by the Karnataka government for this employment.
Minimum wage rates for Loading, Unloading and Hamali in Karnataka
| Category of worker | Zone I | Zone II | Zone III | Zone IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Un-skilled | ₹620.66 | ₹599.43 | ₹579.22 | ₹559.97 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹665.22 | ₹641.88 | ₹619.65 | ₹598.47 |
| Skilled | ₹714.25 | ₹688.57 | ₹664.11 | ₹640.82 |
| Highly-skilled | ₹768.18 | ₹739.93 | ₹713.03 | ₹687.41 |
Rates effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
What counts as Loading, Unloading and Hamali
Loading, Unloading and Hamali is a scheduled employment covering the manual handling of goods, that is the loading, unloading, stacking, shifting, and weighing of sacks, bales, crates, and loose cargo at markets, godowns, and transport points. Hamali refers to the porterage work of carrying goods on the head, back, or shoulder, or moving them with handcarts and trolleys.
- Agricultural produce market yards and wholesale mandis
- Godowns, warehouses, and cold storages
- Railway goods sheds and parcel offices
- Truck transport depots, transport nagars, and roadside loading points
- Ports, docks, and container freight stations
- Wholesale grain, cotton, and commodity markets
- Factory dispatch bays and raw material yards
Typical roles and skill categories
- Hamal (loader-porter)
- Loader
- Unloader
- Stacker
- Head-load carrier
- Weighman (tolaiya)
- Handcart or trolley puller
- Mukadam (loading gang supervisor)
- Tally or counting hand
In this employment, most porterage and manual carrying roles, such as loaders, unloaders, and head-load carriers, usually fall under the unskilled category, while stackers and weighmen who handle careful counting, weighing, and safe stacking are often treated as semi-skilled. The skilled and highly-skilled categories typically cover gang supervisors (mukadams) and workers who operate powered material handling equipment.
Who fixes this wage
Loading, Unloading and Hamali is a notified scheduled employment for which the Karnataka government fixes minimum wages by skill category, and often by zone or area classification. Every employer engaging such labour, directly or through a contractor or mukadam, must pay at least the rate notified for the relevant category and zone.
How Karnataka sets minimum wages
Karnataka fixes minimum wages under its Shops and Commercial Establishments schedule, dividing the state into four zones numbered I to IV. Rates are set for four categories of worker and are kept current through a variable dearness allowance rather than a fresh base notification each period. The dearness-allowance revision applies from 1 April 2026 and runs through to 31 March 2027.
Common questions
What is the current minimum wage for Loading, Unloading and Hamali in Karnataka?
In Karnataka, the minimum wage for Loading, Unloading and Hamali currently runs from about ₹559.97 to ₹768.18 per day, depending on skill category and zone, effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The exact figure by category is in the table below. Confirm the exact rate for your worker's skill category and zone in the table above, and against the latest official notification.
Loading and hamali work is often paid per bag or per trip, so does the minimum wage still apply?
Yes, even when the work is arranged on a piece-rate, per-bag, or per-trip basis, the total wage earned must not fall below the daily minimum wage notified for this employment in Karnataka for the worker's skill category and zone.
Does the hamali rate differ from one part of Karnataka to another?
Often it does, because Karnataka commonly divides the state into zones or area classes, so a loader working in a large metropolitan market yard may fall under a different notified rate from one in a smaller town, as shown by the zone in the rate table.
Who must ensure minimum wages are paid when loading labour is hired through a mukadam or contractor?
The principal employer, together with the labour contractor or mukadam who engages the gang, is responsible for ensuring each worker receives at least the notified minimum wage for this employment in Karnataka, regardless of how the lump gang rate is settled.
Never underpay in Karnataka
ZeniaHR maps every worker to the correct minimum-wage notification by state, skill and zone, and flags anyone paid below it.
Book a demo