More than 7.6 million workers in Spain (37% of the total workforce) received a salary in 2024 lower than the Interprofessional Minimum Wage (SMI) of €15,875 per year. This is according to a report by the Ministry of Finance Technicians (Gestha), which highlights the persistence of precariousness in the current labor market.
Regional Disparities
- Highest Rates: Andalusia (46.9%) and Extremadura (46.8%) recorded the worst total figures for workers falling below the minimum wage threshold.
- Lowest Rates: Conversely, Madrid (30.4%) and Catalonia (32.2%) show the best overall employment percentages above this pay level.
Interestingly, Madrid is the only region where the Gini index increased (0.5%) during this period. On the opposite end, Aragon (-16.9%) and Cantabria (-16.4%) are the communities that have most successfully reduced their wage inequality gap.
The Gender Gap and Precariousness
The report emphasizes that labour precariousness disproportionately affects women:
- Women represent 55% of low-income workers.
- 42.9% of employed women earn less than the minimum wage, compared to 31.7% of men.
- The province of Huelva presents the “most critical” data in the country, with 66.3% of women falling below the wage threshold.
The analysis, published to mark International Workers’ Day, reveals a “two-speed Spain” where the “extreme” salaries of a few contrast with a labour base that is mostly “precarious and feminized.”
