Salaries are not always enough to live without struggle. In fact, the term "working poor" has been used for some time, meaning workers who, despite having a job, do not make it to the end of the month. The fact is that to lead a "dignified" life or one without financial suffocation in the Barcelona metropolitan area, one must earn at least 1,891 gross euros per month in 12 payments, but it is higher in the Catalan capital (2,020 euros) than in its metropolitan area (1,772 euros). Furthermore, different types of families also require different amounts. For example, a couple with two children, 2,326 euros; and a single-parent family, 2,680 euros, since it depends on a single salary, in both cases within the metropolitan area. These are the conclusions of the study Living Wage 2026 prepared by public policy evaluation consultants KSNET and public strategy and management consultancy Daleph, which are part of the international Global Living Wage Movement network.

The 2008 economic crisis ended, at least theoretically, in 2013. It was the last year in which the Spanish economy recorded negative growth. The consequences of the recession still persist today, and are exacerbated by the more recent rise in price of a very specific group of products in the shopping basket. They are fundamentally two: housing and food, as made clear by the Generalitat in the Social Report 2025. These two elements are also the main drivers of the general strike called for November 11th.

Next Wednesday we are called to a general strike to demand better wages, affordable housing, and measures against the rising cost of living. And this at a time when Catalonia is recording one of the lowest unemployment rates since 2008, the minimum wage has increased by almost 66% since 2018 and monetary poverty has decreased in recent years. And yet, many families continue to have difficulty making ends meet. How is this explained?

The way of approaching tourism is also starting to shift in Brussels. If until now the incipient European guidelines revolved around the competitiveness and resilience of the sector, the community executive now speaks of "growing pressure" on certain destinations that have difficulties managing the influx, especially in summer, and points to low wages as a widespread problem.

My previous article started from the idea that what makes the housing problem most intractable is that there is an attempt to decouple it from its main cause, which is none other than immigration. The integration of immigration, on the other hand, is the main long-term problem we face, and it is intimately linked to the solution we provide for their access to housing.

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.