The Spanish government guaranteed this Tuesday to the unions CSIF, CCOO and UGT that the salary of public employees will rise by 4.5% starting January 1, 2027, just as both parties agreed upon in the framework agreement they signed last November. This was communicated by the three unions after meeting with the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Function within the framework of the monitoring commission for this agreement, which provided for an overall salary increase for the more than three million public employees of 11% for the 2025-2028 period.

The platform Ens Costa la Vida, the Tenants' Union (Sindicat de Llogateres), and the Trade Union Table of Catalonia –a coordination space that brings together various alternative unions such as the CGT– have announced that the main demonstration for the 24-hour strike for housing and wages on November 11th will take place at Jardinets de Gràcia, in Barcelona, at 5:30 PM. As union sources explain, before the announcement, the proposal had not been previously conveyed to the major unions, although, according to them, CCOO has already decided to call for a demonstration at the same location, and everything suggests that the UGT will decide the same.

The Spanish economy remains at the forefront of advanced countries in growth, with a forecast of 2.6% this year according to the Bank of Spain and 2.5% according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). But inflation, they also warn, eats away at the purchasing power of wages that are not enough to buy or rent a house. The remuneration of employees has gained weight in the Spanish economy, but it is starting to lose it in favor of the profits of some business sectors. Workers perceive that with every euro they buy fewer and fewer things, or that they need more to acquire the same. There is a palpable reality, the rise in prices, which has stalled the contribution of wages to the total wealth this year, and a psychological element, according to the experts consulted, which makes many ask themselves: "Now that the economy is doing well, when is it my turn?"

The major trade unions are calling for a minimum wage (SMI) increase of at least 7% by 2027, placing it above 1,300 euros per month. In a joint press conference held by the UGT and CCOO in Madrid, both organizations defended an increase that would update the threshold to at least 1,306 gross euros paid over 14 installments, or 1,524 euros over twelve. Currently, the state minimum wage is 1,221 gross euros in fourteen payments, which is equivalent to 1,424 euros in twelve monthly installments.

As of this Monday, companies must transparently inform their employees about a series of working conditions. Specifically, companies must state in writing in employment contracts the existence of algorithmic or automated systems that intervene in decision-making regarding employees' working conditions.

The housing crisis continues to worsen. While evictions take on a name of their own, the public seems to say enough is enough and politicians search for solutions against the clock, the data only confirms the severity of the problem: housing prices are drifting further and further away from wages and families' ability to save.

Pimec has held its annual event in the midst of the housing crisis. And the president of the business organization, Antoni Cañete, has taken advantage of the presence of the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and the Minister of Social Security and spokesperson for the Spanish government, Elma Saiz, to warn of the risk of the housing crisis for competitiveness.

"Today we are taking another step in the fight against job insecurity in our country." The Council of Ministers approved this Tuesday the transposition of a European regulation that will guarantee that workers have more "transparent" access to their working conditions. As the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, has explained, the rule will allow for combating precariousness by guaranteeing "adequate and immediate" access to the essential characteristics of the employment relationship.

The cost per hour worked in Spain rose by 4.8% in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2025, a rate six tenths lower than the previous quarter, according to the provisional data of the Harmonized Labor Cost Index (ICLA) published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). With the rebound in the April-June 2026 period, labor costs have chained 20 quarters of year-on-year increases; that is, five consecutive years of increases.

Salaries and pensions are moving along different paths. The divergence is "absolutely strategic" for the evolution of the economy and social cohesion, assures Jordi Garcia, professor of labor law at the University of Barcelona (UB). This August, retirees have collected an average of 1,574.9 euros, 4.5% more than a year ago, according to the Social Security. However, prices in July rose by 3.5% compared to 2025, while awaiting to know how much the cost of living has increased this month (based on data from the CPI, the consumer price index, published by the INE).

Spain is one of the advanced economies where real wages have fallen the most in the last five years. Specifically, inflation-adjusted purchasing power has decreased by 2% in this time and, as pointed out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it is not expected to rebound in 2026 or in 2027. However, in year-on-year terms, real wages grew by 2% in Spanish territory during the first quarter of this year.

The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has withdrawn in extremis from the agenda of this Friday's plenary session a proposal for a "productivity bonus" in salary matters. The bonus was aimed at 800 City Council officials who hold the category of “command”, a position characterized by organizing and being in charge of other municipal workers. "They not only manage processes, but also articulate the organization," assures the document detailing the characteristics of this new bonus. The objective, according to the council, is to value the work of the 800 commanders and could mean an increase of up to 5% of the base salary, regardless of what the worker previously earned.

All advances and new technologies generate concern and fear. We have seen this throughout history. And this is what is happening with artificial intelligence (AI). There are many studies pointing to the loss of hundreds or thousands of jobs, and the potential of this new technology is still in its infancy. But we have already seen many headlines like that of the weekly The Economist a few days ago, "The jobs apocalypse". The impact it can have cannot be denied, and not just on repetitive and low-value-added tasks.

The Generalitat, employers' associations from the social sector, and the CCOO and UGT unions signed an agreement this Wednesday to achieve full salary equalization for the 120,000 professionals working in the fields of geriatric residences, disability, childhood, drug addiction, and mental health. The pact establishes gradual salary increases until 2030, the year in which workers hired by private companies are expected to have the same salary as those under an administration agreement. To achieve this, the Department of Social Rights and Inclusion will establish a new financing system for companies, which links an increase in the public tariff to an effective increase in payrolls.

Economic prospects are still favorable. Despite the setback of the last EPA, with a sudden and high increase in unemployment that returns us to the leadership in this scourge in the developed world, Catalonia continues to grow, and above its surroundings. But tailwinds are no guarantee of progress. The risk is having consumed very good years with too much complacency and not having done our homework well enough. Perhaps because some debates are too uncomfortable, but sooner or later we will have to face them: working or not working, rights or duties, higher wages or productivity, technology or employment.

Spain was one of the seven countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, the think tank of the world's most developed economies) where last year the rise in taxes on wages far outstripped the increase in salaries, resulting in a loss of real income. The calculation, however, does not take into account the value of the public services citizens receive, which are funded by taxes.

In a year like 2025, with record stock market gains, the main executives of the Ibex companies, the main benchmark of the Spanish equity market, overwhelmingly earned very significant incomes, further widening the gap with the average earnings of their staff. The link between remuneration and stock performance contributed to boosting the incomes of many senior executives. A clear example was Manuel Manrique, president of Sacyr, who topped the rankings by earning 32.6 million euros, 384.59% more than the previous year, thanks to a bonus for the company's stock market rise since the pandemic. As a consequence of this plan, this executive, one of the founders of Sacyr, multiplied his remuneration of around 6.7 million from 2022, 2023, and 2024. The fact is that Manrique's remuneration was 628 times the average earned by the company's staff, which is around 52,000 euros, according to the directors' remuneration report published by this company.

How much should presidents be paid? In Catalonia, it has historically been decided that the salary of the President of the Generalitat should be among the highest in the State. In fact, for years the President of the Generalitat has occupied the first position in the ranking. Carles Ramió, a professor of political science at Pompeu Fabra University, warns that the debate about politicians' salaries tends to be full of demagoguery and points to the need to have well-paid public servants to attract talent and avoid pernicious dynamics. Furthermore, he recalls that all figures are gross, meaning that tax withholdings make the net figure substantially lower.The draft budget for 2026 foresees that the salary of the head of the executive, Salvador Illa, will increase by 6,378.88 euros, rising from the 140,256.96 euros he received last year to 146,635.84 annually. To put this into perspective, the Basque Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, second in the ranking, receives 117,243.14 euros, while the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, in third position, earns 103,090.32 euros. The gap is even wider when we look towards Moncloa: the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has a salary of 95,943.96 euros, almost 51,000 euros less than Illa.This hierarchy is also maintained at the second tier. A minister of the Generalitat of Catalonia earns 130,049.36 euros, exceeding the 104,512.94 euros of a minister from the Basque Country or the 103,080.48 euros of their Madrid counterparts.Beyond the Government: where are the highest salaries found?If we look at the legislative chambers, the presidencies of the Cortes Generales and the Parliament of Catalonia represent the highest peaks. According to data from the remuneration registry, the president of the Parliament of Catalonia, Josep Rull, will receive 151,995.48 euros in 2026, while in Spain, the president of the Congress, Francina Armengol, earns 230,911.66 euros and the president of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, earns 191,240.42 euros.However, where are the highest salaries in the public sector? In Spain, public companies and regulatory bodies top the list. The three highest salaries are practically identical and correspond to the presidency of Loterías de l'Estat (252,474.97 euros), SEPI (251,242.18), and CESCE (251,530). In Catalonia, while the artistic director of the TNC, the general director, and the president of Ferrocarrils top the podium with 125,001.76 euros, these do not exceed the president's figures.Change of mind"I will make a commitment: I will lower the salary of the President of the Generalitat to the highest salary of a regional president other than Catalonia, which is that of the Lehendakari. It is a 30% reduction, to be close to the people." This was one of the proposals made by Salvador Illa during the 2021 election campaign. Although he was the most voted, he could not govern in that legislature, and in the following election campaign, that of 2024, he no longer repeated this commitment.In 2021, the president's remuneration was at its historical maximum, 153,236 euros, with Quim Torra at the head of the Generalitat. His successor, Pere Aragonès, , bringing it down to 130,251 euros. Since then, it has been revalued to maintain purchasing power.Faced with criticism for this change of opinion, Illa defended himself last Wednesday in Parliament, stating before the Plenary: "The increase [foreseen in the budgets] is what has been applied to all public servants in Catalonia, and I am a public servant of Catalonia." This increase is a result of the application of the legal framework that links the salaries of senior officials to the increases agreed for all civil servants.Paying little can be expensiveThe debate about public salaries is not just a matter of figures. Ramió warns that demagoguery about low salaries has a hidden cost: the difficulty in attracting competent managers. According to the political scientist, "for every two or three proposals they make for a minister, they often say no" because, fundamentally, "compared to the market and considering the responsibility, the salary is very low." If the public sector is not competitive, Ramió states, it risks being left in the hands of unprofessional profiles.Ramió also warns of two other risks associated with low salaries. When pressure and responsibility are extreme, but the remuneration is "ridiculous," it opens the door, in his opinion, to corruption. And, as a final reflection, he invites us to consider the model of the "rich politician" who doesn't need a salary, personified by Donald Trump. He ironically states that if the goal is to pay the minimum, "the best president in the world is Donald Trump, because he only earns a dollar a year." But the risk of this mirage is high: "What do we want? For politics to be done only by the rich?"

It is still unknown what role Yolanda Díaz will play in the upcoming state elections. It is clear, however, that after relinquishing her leadership of the left wing of the PSOE, she will leave behind a legacy of seven years at the head of the Ministry of Labor, if the general elections are held in 2027. A union source closely involved with the government does not hesitate to describe the agenda of reforms and measures promoted by her ministry as a "turning point" in 2021.

Everyone has a general idea of ​​how their salary compares to their peers. But do you really know if your salary is high or low compared to the rest of the population in your region, any other region, or even in Spain as a whole? We offer a calculator that will allow you to discover how many people earn more and less than you and where your income falls in relation to the national and regional salary scales. Here it is: