The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce has reported a concerning trend of stagnant salaries persisting for nearly two decades. Real salaries in Catalonia are the same as 20 years ago, and workers produce 12% more.
The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce has reported a concerning trend of stagnant salaries. The salaries that Catalan companies pay their workers have been stagnant in terms of purchasing power for two decades. Meanwhile, the productivity of these same employees, in other words, how much they generate with their work for the owners of these companies who pay their salaries, has increased by almost 12% since 2000.
The report by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce confirms that this stagnation primarily affects workers' income. “Salaries in Catalonia are low, they are not what we deserve,” acknowledged the president of the organization, Mònica Roca. “It is clear that the Catalan economy has deficits in key areas that determine well-being and that are often camouflaged when we talk about macroeconomic figures,” she added.
Currently, Catalan workers earn 5.7% less than their counterparts in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, or Belgium, El Periodico reports. In comparison with these EU economies, Catalonia fares poorly in terms of salaries but positively in terms of life expectancy. A Catalan currently has an average life expectancy of 83.8 years, almost two years longer than a German or a Belgian. “The downside is that this implies an aging population, and this will have economic and social welfare consequences,” Joan Ramon Rovira, the head of the Chamber's research department warned.
The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce has reported a concerning trend of stagnant salaries. The salaries that Catalan companies pay their workers have been stagnant in terms of purchasing power for two decades. Meanwhile, the productivity of these same employees, in other words, how much they generate with their work for the owners of these companies who pay their salaries, has increased by almost 12% since 2000.
The report by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce confirms that this stagnation primarily affects workers' income. “Salaries in Catalonia are low, they are not what we deserve,” acknowledged the president of the organization, Mònica Roca. “It is clear that the Catalan economy has deficits in key areas that determine well-being and that are often camouflaged when we talk about macroeconomic figures,” she added.
Currently, Catalan workers earn 5.7% less than their counterparts in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, or Belgium, El Periodico reports. In comparison with these EU economies, Catalonia fares poorly in terms of salaries but positively in terms of life expectancy. A Catalan currently has an average life expectancy of 83.8 years, almost two years longer than a German or a Belgian. “The downside is that this implies an aging population, and this will have economic and social welfare consequences,” Joan Ramon Rovira, the head of the Chamber's research department warned.