Good news for Spanish workers. Finally. After a long period of wage freeze byproduct of the Great Recession, it is time to recover purchasing power. In 2019, wages gave a growth spurt as not seen in the last decade, says Victoria Gismera, director of the consulting firm of human resources PeopleMatters. The Study of wage increases in 2019-2020 which has produced is clear that the average rise of salaries in the year just ended stood at 2.95 per cent and was superior to that provided by the organizations, because, when they designed their policies remuneration in 2018, it seemed that they were going to enjoy a year of economic stability (which then has not been as well) and that was the time that the templates are to benefit from the good progress of its results.

Like that so we were optimistic, now, with the sunset view in the salary reviews of 2020, remain more cautious. The instability of the global economy and the political uncertainty that has been settled this week with the inauguration of a new Government have led companies to be more cautious, writes Gismera. For 2020 is expected to rise more contained, at 2.5%.

Rafael Barrilero, partner at consulting firm Mercer, makes reference to the last results of the periodic survey that it conducted among the organizations, in which they have detected a downward revision in the last three months. Their forecast salary increase for the new year has gone from 2.4% to 2.2%. Possibly this reduction of business expectations also have to see the increase in the SMI plans to the coalition Government between PSOE and United we Can, which the companies estimated that higher labor costs, adds Gismera.

Barrilero stresses that from 2018 it is producing a salary recovery important because the revaluation of the wages far exceeds that of consumer prices. If before the crisis, when the revision of the emoluments is linked to inflation rather than productivity or business results as subsequently, the difference between one and the other was 0.5 points, it is now more than double. The CPI in 2019 is expected to close in the 0.7%, while the salaries will be above 2% (collective agreements signed until November reflected an increase of 2.3%).

“we need to celebrate this wage increase, which reflects a certain normalization of their behavior in a growth phase as the that crosses Spain from 2014,” he said recently in a statement, the trade union UGT. To say then that the increases are very moderate, after nearly a decade of austerity and devaluation of wages. “Fortunately, inflation also maintains a evolution very well controlled: the average increase of the CPI through the month of November was 0.7%, which allows the wages per worker are earning 1.2 points of purchasing power.”

For the hierarchy, the powerful will be more rewards for their work, as is usually the apostille by the president of ICSA Group, Ernesto Poveda. Companies will increase the salary 2.85% to its managers in 2020, while the operators will be recognized with only a 1,96%, according to the study of PeopleMatters. In between, the administrative will have an increase of 2,16%, the business to 2.43%, middle management of 2,80% and the qualified technicians of 2.65%. According to Poveda, if between 2007 and 2019 the cumulative inflation is 17,40%, the increase in remuneration of directors has been exceeded by almost 6 points at that level, and almost as the middle management, while the employees from the lower ranks have gained just 1.3 points.

But if there's one element that stands out in the remuneration policy current of almost half of the companies surveyed by PeopleMatters, that is, which are introducing corrective measures to close the gender pay gap. “The law is helping that equality is placed at the first line in the management committees of the businesses and between the responsible of compensation. Although there are companies that have been working on reducing the wage gap, it is good news that close to 50% have been among its priorities to 2020”, writes Gismera.

The measures are being introduced to pave the differences in remuneration between men and women have to do with the review and, above all, redesign of policies, performance evaluation, analyzing the subjectivities that have been repeated historically, the potential for discrimination and correcting them with tools that measure measurable criteria or results, the tangible rather than subjective, indicates the policy of PeopleMatters. In terms of salaries, companies are compared with the market in order to know if they are or not aligned with him and, if negative, apply special increases or merit. This pay increase, discusses Gismera, can be 3% or 4%, compared to an average of 2.5%. And between 10% and 12% in the case of promotions or upgrades.

AstraZeneca Spain, with 730 employees, is one of the companies that are working to close the gender pay gap. He has been doing this five years ago, when he was director of human resources, communication and CSR, Ana Mutis, explains herself. Then it was above 10%, although no specific percentage, and today is 6% in favour of the man. But in the direction the difference between the salary of men and women is 8%, in this case, interestingly higher for women.

The goal of the pharmaceutical is that this slope is maintained below 10% and to do this look with a magnifying glass salary reviews, which this year will be at 2.5%, allocating an additional package of 0,50% of the mass in exchange for payment to correct the differences and close the gap, says Mutis. This package is usually split between 20 or 30 people. The second measure, he says, is to offer salaries adjusted to the categories of pharmaceutical multinational to women who sign on in place of raise a 10% that they perceived in their previous company.

More money

That's what you ask to 2020 the Spanish workers. According to the survey performed Adecco Group to the end of the year, 72.3% of respondents calling for an increase of salary, more facilities to reconcile (42,5%), greater education (31.7%) and a rise (by 20.7%). Money talks. In the case of managers, their average salary in Spain is of 84.773 euros per year; one in the middle, of 42.929 euros, and the employee ranks, from 23,250 gross, according to ICSA Group. You know that in 2019, where most have grown up has been in small businesses.