In situations of paid employment, living wage refers to ‘fair and decent’ level of income that can contribute towards enabling workers, particularly in the lower socio-economic sections of society, to fulfil basic needs leave some discretionary balance money with them, and allow for dignity and participation in society. Arguably, living wage has the potential to influence and impact decent  work life and the quality of life overall, and go beyond mere economic subsistence. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some scholars believe that the vulnerabilities for workers and the importance and urgency of living wage, to enable individual, and in turn business and societal resilience, has been critically highlighted. On the other hand, when global and national economies are seemingly touching a new all-time low and joblessness and unemployment rates are on the rise, we contemplate how relevant and justified are the demand for living wage in difficult economic conditions? This session aims to initiate “difficult conversations” on the challenges and opportunities the C-19 global disruptor poses for sustainable livelihoods and shared prosperity under the SDGs and Decent Work Agenda.  By convening different and sometimes contesting perspectives, the session will  deliberate on and debate the most challenging questions around living wages as India and the world build back ‘better’.