This price crisis It causes a growing number of workers to deprive themselves of certain essentials to make ends meet. This year, for example, more one of four Spaniards working they will not be able to go on vacation away from home for a week. Proportion of workers who agree unexpected expense it will spoil the calculations. Or that they will not be able to operate the air conditioner in the heat of the winter or in the summer.
It is more unstable, but less poor, because the increase in employment in recent months has allowed an increasing number of people to improve their situation enough to escape the immediate risk of poverty. This is confirmed by the INE’s survey on living conditions, released this Monday, which includes a slight decrease in the overall poverty rate in the country. 26% of the Spanish populationIt fell to its lowest level since 2013.
Wages are rising less than prices, forcing an increasing number of workers to forego certain bills and tighten their belts to avoid risking poverty. While the percentage of the total poor employed decreased slightly in 2022 compared to 2021, giving up essential inputs increased in nearly all its lanes.
According to the latest data, 16.5% The rate of those who could not come to the end of the month despite having a job and salary at the end of the month was 17.9% last year. An environment that currently encompasses 3.3 million people It represents Spain-wide and its lowest level since 2016. However, working poverty levels are still 2008 crisiswhile 13.4%. Lack of concentration in employment, that is, working very few hours per month and therefore earning very little, is often the main reason that drives the employed into poverty.
In this sense, the expansion of the labor market by exceeding pre-covid employment levels in the last year is in favor of reducing this rate of poor workers. The total number of households with low employment density fell three points last year to 8.6%, the lowest level in the historical series. recent increases minimum wageThis legislature could also explain the reduction in labor poverty rates, almost 50% so far.
The government relies on this improvement in the labor market to justify the improvement in overall inequality indices. In a statement by the Ministry of Economy, the GINI index reached 32 points in 2022 (0 full equality and 100 maximum inequality), a target set by the Executive for 2030.
More than 5 million workers are without vacation
Improvement continued on a daily basis more dangerous increasing numbers of workers. The holidays were one of the first pieces sacrificed to balance the accounts. 26.7% Percentage of employed people (approximately 5.4 million people) will not be able to go on vacation for a week this year. 30.8% 100 percent of workers cannot afford unforeseen expenses, such as a malfunctioning boiler, car repair, or other large bills they didn’t account for.
One of the most serious deficiencies of the panel reviewed by the INE is the issue of affordability or inability to afford it. eating meat or fish at least once every two days. Here, the rate increased despite the overall improvement in the severe material deprivation indices. 3.9% of those employed, that is, more than 80,000 people, cannot afford this with their salaries. The previous year, this rate was 3.1%.
Especially the intense increase in energy inputs has also been reflected in the statistics. The percentage of workers who cannot afford the warmth at home with their salary skyrocketed. While it was 11.1% in 2021, it reached 14.6% in 2022. Since the INE survey works with rent and mortgage a year ahead, we’ll see how the increase in interest rates and Euribor will have an impact on next year’s statistics. Currently, one in 10 employees experience recurring delays in paying their salary. mortgage.