Tom PowellTHE average salary in the public sector is almost double the average private sector wage, according to a report from the National Institute of Statistics.
Based on figures published in the newly released Labour Force Survey, the NIS found that the average public sector salary grossed at €2,530 per month last year, as opposed to €1,691 in the private sector, a difference of 49.6%.
Temporary workers fare even worse, earning an average €1,282 per month while those on permanent contracts average out at €2,048.
The disproportion is a reflection of Spanish market trends in which private enterprises tend to offer more temporary and part-time contracts and more low-skilled jobs.
Only 37.2% of private sector employees have advanced degrees and 20.6% have part-time contracts. This contrasts sharply with the public sector, where 66.1% of employees are graduates and only 6.8% work part-time.
The report also highlighted a marked difference in earnings by gender. While 35.8% of men and 23.8% of women make more than €2,159 a month, a staggering 41.1% of women versus 19.4% of men take home less than €1,217 per month.
Commenting on the difference, an NIS analyst explained: “One of the main reasons for these disparities is that women work on part-time, temporary contracts in the lowest paid industries in much greater proportion than men.”
I would love to know how those wages changed per region. The wages of a lot of sectors are decided by the unions and there are minimal wages which are higher then the minimal wage of the country. In a lot of cases the employer won’t follow these and can even put staff through on contracts with pay slips less than than both the minimal for the sector or country. By doing this he is breaking the law but will only have a problem if he has a work inspection.. It is amazing to think a contract which is breaking the law can be registered with the social security office and will only be picked up on if there is a inspection.
No wonder privatisation is so aggressively sought in every sector. Virtually half the pay of the public sector is paid to the victims of the “market forces” lie. Which of course is another version of the same lie that is described as “austerity” and followed slavishly to the detriment of the whole of Europe.
And forget “public sector ” workers here get better deals on loans and mortgages, best workers rights, longest holidays. In fact the dream job for a Spaniard is to a funcionario
In spirit of transparancy and HONESTY, would ALL Public Officials please publicize their Official and non Official incomes? I am sure that Sr Rajoy et al. would agree that this would save alot of taxpayer cost Court time.
If not, WHY??!